tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78506089277659035952018-10-30T10:17:05.376-07:00...You Find A Deck of Many Things.A life in Taglines.Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-87930848293161215272018-09-07T11:08:00.000-07:002018-09-07T11:08:06.249-07:00The One About ConsThis year, <a href="https://www.brandesstoddard.com/" target="_blank">Harbinger</a>&nbsp;and I went to GenCon for all 4 days, and Saturday only of Dragon*Con. So I am going to talk a little about those, though it's been... a minute since GenCon, and I have likely forgotten everything, or most things.<br /><br />The really awesome part was that we got to play- and run- a bunch of games. I definitely want to do more GMming at GenCon, though getting to run around and do whatever is a blast. We played:<br /><br /><br /><ul><li>Most of a session of <b>Grim War II</b> (a sequel to <a href="https://arcdream.com/home/2011/04/introduction-to-grim-war/" target="_blank">this</a>), run by Greg Stolze, though I had to leave in the middle to run a game, which I'll talk about later.&nbsp; Note: I am one of the writers on the game! Whee!&nbsp;</li><li>A playtest of the <b>Talisman RPG</b> by Pegasus Spiele, run by Ian Lemke. This is mostly notable because Harbinger and I are also writers on this game, and this was the game that we both spent a lot of the con running. I can't talk about this a ton, except that yes, it is a conversion of the board game to an RPG, and it is very much in Alpha-Alpha versions.&nbsp;</li><li><b>13th Age: Carnival of Masks</b> (I think that was the name), which was fun and awesome, and deeply enjoyable. I forget the GM's name, but she was pretty excellent. I played a Ironforged Cleric who was forged out of a sacred reliquary, and was stolen by the Thief Icon dude, who he felt he owed for teaching him about the rest of the world.</li><li><b>Shadow of the Demon Lord</b>, run by <a href="https://worldbuilderblog.me/" target="_blank">James Introcaso</a>, which kind of... happened late, late, late one night in Open Gaming after we'd been hanging with some folks in the <a href="https://www.alexandriarpg.com/" target="_blank">Alexandria RPG Game Librar</a>y- which, by the by, deserves all the donations, as it is awesome. Seriously, they have amazing stuff, and are a fantastic resource. As for the game, it was absolutely balls-out gross and crazy in the best way. It all sort of blurs, except I was playing a changeling and I kind of really enjoyed the single d6 resolution mechanic.&nbsp;</li><li><b>The King in Yellow</b>- Gumshoe-based horror; I kickstarted this one, and was super excited to play it. Not sure what I think about Gumshoe, except that I think it's really hard to write adventures for it which aren't deeply railroady. I was playing an androgynous muse bohemian type, which was like... barely roleplaying. Also, our dice were cold as ice for the main battle part of it. And there were a lot of /awful/ French accents. The GM's was kind of amazing. This was the one game that Harbinger did not join me for, as he was running more playtests.&nbsp;</li><li><b>Illimat</b> - Dealers' room demo! Resulted in us purchasing the game. It is gorgeous.</li><li><b>Dragonfire </b>- Another dealers' room demo! We did not get this one, though it was very tempting. Just too much of a time sink.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Now, Panels!</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li><b>Over The Edge</b>, which was kind of a... bizarre cabal meeting where 5 True Believers, Jonathan Tweet and Cam Banks worked to convince one Interested Seeker to Immigrate to Al-Amarja. A note that I backed this kickstarter for embarrassing sums of money.</li><li><b>Eberron</b>, which involved Kieth Baker looking for ideas for what else people wanted to see re: Eberron content.&nbsp;</li><li><b>Ars Magica</b>, in which the room scandalized John Nephew by insisting that the actual magic mechanics were more important to them than the Order of Hermes. Which is a vast oversimplification, but the real important part is that now Harbinger has agreed to run Ars Magica for a bunch of us, which is excellent.</li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div>I feel like we might have done some other panel, but I don't recall. At some point, everything blurs. Also, I should really get into what we purchased game-wise, but I do want to post this someday. Lots of good stuff.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>As for Dragon*Con... well, that was pretty much a trip to the dealer's room and some room party time, though we did get to play <a href="https://secrethitler.com/" target="_blank">Secret Hitler</a>, which I have mentioned in the vague <a href="http://deadnazi.blogspot.com/2015/12/this-is-fairly-genius.html" target="_blank">elsewhere</a>. Actually playing it... well, it does make you confront that most useful competitive RPG mechanics can be pretty easily classed as fascist- a number of the fascist policy abilities are char powers in the Battlestar Galactica board game. Would play again though... it probably deserves it's own post, here or in the ol' Cringing in Terror DeadNazi blog. Now, the list of Cosplays we saw, since that's the most important part of D*Con (nobody but nobody was getting into any panels; they were all crammed):&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>* fewer Deadpools and Harley Quinns than years past</div><div>* Some excellent T'Challas and Erik Killmongers</div><div>* A decent number of Pearls, Steven Universe, and Rose Quartz</div><div>* A fairly excellent Slipknot</div><div>* Classic Mario characters seemed to be the by quantity winners as far as property goes.&nbsp;</div><div>* Probably the best Billy Dee Williams Two-Face I've ever seen</div><div>* A spot-on Mad Eye Moody</div><div>* A fantastic Thormund Giantsbane, who was only a bit shorter than the dude what plays him</div><div>* At least 3 classic Scarlet Witches. This makes me incredibly happy.</div><div>* A dude playing DKR Bane, with two giant mastiffs (they were his service animals). He was standing in front of a real van legit painted as the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo. There might have been some cognitive dissonance going on here.&nbsp;</div><div>* Some MtF Crossplay, but less than at GenCon. My favorite was a pair of middle aged dudes doing the two creepy twin girls from the Shining.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, that's what all stands out in my head at the moment. I'm working on some game systems of my own, also, so y'know, I should actually post about that sometime, when I actually... post. Ever. Yeah.&nbsp;</div><br /><br /><br />Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-63732065142607546992018-07-20T12:18:00.003-07:002018-07-20T12:19:05.405-07:00Hope and other failings. I'd hoped I'd have managed some more posts before&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thetomeshow.com/e/midgard-heroes-handbook-review-part-2-tome-303/" target="_blank">this Tome Show episode I'm on </a>&nbsp;dropped, but oh well. It's there! Huzzah!<br /><br />Let's talk Kickstarters! Right now, I'm backing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/halmangold/greg-stolzes-reign-second-edition" target="_blank">Reign 2nd ed</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atlasgames/over-the-edge-a-roleplaying-game-of-weird-urban-da?ref=user_menu" target="_blank">Over The Edge 25e</a>, and encourage you to do so also! I'm also doing a bunch of writing for some books right now, or will be doing so soon, but I can't really talk about any of them at the moment, so... well, hopefully I will remember to post here when I can do so.<br /><br />Well, we can hope.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-90963982381604277412018-05-23T21:19:00.000-07:002018-05-23T21:19:06.054-07:00Oh hey, thing!So yeah, I'm on <a href="http://www.thetomeshow.com/e/midgard-heroes-handbook-review-part-1-tome-302/" target="_blank">The Tome Show</a>&nbsp;tonight, discussing <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/236914/Midgard-Heroes-Handbook-for-5th-Edition" target="_blank">Midgard Heroes</a>&nbsp;as I oh-so-smoothly insinuated in my terribly conveniently timed <a href="http://deck-of-many-things.blogspot.com/2018/" target="_blank">latest roundup post</a>. So if you're here from that, s'up?<br /><br />Otherwise, I should mention that we had session #83 of <a href="http://brandesstoddard.com/" target="_blank">Harbinger's</a> game on Sunday, which was really excellent for me, as my Fighter, Lanth accomplished yet another major goal, and got to do some serious and convincing weight-slinging as far as convincing other people to do the needful and not be assholes (NPCs, not the party). Also, the party actually agreed on a plan for actually actives next steps against the main (so far) campaign level threat. This highlights something the game does that I really super love, which is Birthright style Magic-is-tied-to-the-land. Lemme 'splain.<br /><br />There's these gigantic (typically) stone creatures called Domain Sentinels, who were created in ancient days to protect certain magically designated areas of land, or, well, domains. My character's race, the <a href="https://www.brandesstoddard.com/2017/01/dd-5e-the-veytikka-personality/" target="_blank">Veytikka</a>, seem to have some kind of connection also to the domains, or at least to providing legitimacy somehow to people who want to rule it- but that's my impression from some things that've happened in game. Not least of which involves the first time we met a Domain Sentinel, on the first floor of a dungeon which is basically a nod to Od Nua from Pillars of Eternity. This one was a 10 foot tall stone quadruped which trapped each of us in this ray of blue light and asked us creepy, enigmatic questions. And the one Lanth got was, "Is there a threat to the domain?"<br /><br />I said no at the time, but as shit got ever closer to the overhead rotary device, my opinion has shifted, and now we're basically collecting Sentinels to turn against the evil angel that is busily seeking to sow chaos and destruction in all the living world. So that's fun.<br /><br />But really, I love this kind of mecha-monster ally deal, and it potentially lends itself to some fun, non-horrible, more allied Shadow of the Colossus type play, in the long run. Anyway, the session was much more heavy on the social side than the combat side this time, which is often pretty awesome when it's well seeded and has a strong foundation (this did, it was a number of pay-offs from really old previous encounters), and the combat, when it came, was done in such a way that we only barely survived it, only barely defeated the horrible curfew-enforcing armored air elemental thing that was beating the snot out of us, and then only barely avoided getting the tracking curse it'd placed on us cured before the local military police found us and made our lives that much more short. All in all, a good time.<br /><br />And looking back over that, I should really get into more details about the pretty awesome and terrible situation we're in, but it's late, and I need to cut like, 50 words or so from my <a href="https://200wordrpg.github.io/" target="_blank">200 word RPG</a> that I will maybe actually remember to send in this year.Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-74914730764136014222018-05-17T19:52:00.000-07:002018-05-17T19:52:22.652-07:00Over a year and roundup time....Wow, I suck so much. I promise you that the lack of posts in the past... years has been from lack of time, and in no-wise lack of topics. So let's walk through some Roundup stuff, shall we?<br /><br /><h2>Running</h2><div>I'm running <b>Liel</b>, my D&amp;D game, and... that's about it. I'm enjoying the hell out of it though. I like running games... maybe more than playing them. I want to talk more about this soonest, especially because we just went through about 3 sessions of the players dying, being dead, and then making themselves not dead again, which meant it was a fairly good test case for ideas I put forth in <a href="https://www.tribality.com/2016/05/27/death-is-not-the-end/" target="_blank">that article I guest wrote for Tribality that one time.</a>&nbsp;I think it went pretty well, and it was also a nice example of a theme that bears repeating: When the players pick up all the hints and figure out what's going on, they should probably just win.<br /><br />...because, y'know, I need more blog topics. Right.</div><div><br /></div><h2>Playing</h2><div><b>Aurikesh - </b><a href="http://brandesstoddard.com/" target="_blank">Harbinger</a>'s D&amp;D 5e game. Continues to be great. I'm mostly focusing on my Blademaster 2 weapon fighter, who is level 7 now and feels like an unstoppable badass. I need to get my Tomelock and my Royal Sorcerer caught up more. That said, my main is well in the middle of accomplishing one of her major character goals, so I've got that going for me.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Granite Sledge</b> - Standsinfire's 5e game. Planescape on a boat! A big, rocky boat. I am playing a Lamia Monk, which is really interesting... StandsInFire created <a href="https://standsinthefire.com/2017/06/16/monstrous-subraces-part-2-of-whatever/" target="_blank">cool rules</a> for her; I'm blood of Abraxas. The game itself is gonzo in a good way... thing</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Forgotten Realms</b> - Harbinger is also running a 5e Realms game with me and a couple of friends. I am playing a gnomish Mystic Theurge who worships the god of runes... really, I just wanted to play a Theurge. So far, I like it pretty well... it sure is a wizard who gets to use cleric spells. Not super special, except thematically.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Over The Edge 25a - </b>Harbinger has run a couple sessions of this, and basically, I always want more. I've said this before, but MAN do I love the playtest dice rules so far- I feel like I could run almost anything with them, particularly if I want something very light, that is heavy on the RP.<br /><br /><b>Cuphead </b>- does anyone really play this game, or does this game play them?<br /><br /><b>Love Nikki</b>- Yeah, I said it. But seriously, it hits all my weak points- collection, completionism, aesthetics, and exploration. It's a time and money trap like no other. If you value your cash and sanity, AVOID (but seriously, my friend code is 106448785).<br /><br /><b>Flight Rising</b>- Yup, still. Not a ton to say about the dressup dragons except it seems the community has mellowed some, and it's gone to always-open registration, so <a href="http://www1.flightrising.com/" target="_blank">check it out</a>&nbsp;if you are so inclined! For reals though, it's a really good introduction to the culture of subgaming and in-game IRL economics beyond gold sellers (just... search on 'adoptable' sometime), and how pet games are fascinating for the econ lessons.<br /><br /><b>Pokémon Go</b> - What? Don't you judge me, you know you're playing it too. And no, I don't have Mew yet. I'm about halfway there, still stuck looking for friggin ghost pokémon.<br /><br /><h2>Writing</h2></div><div>I wrote a Campaign Starter Kit for <a href="http://www.atlas-games.com/unknownarmies/" target="_blank">Unknown Armies 3</a> which is out to the backers now! Likely it will drop on DriveThruRPG soonish, and when that happens, I should definitely post it here, and not, y'know... forget.<br /><br />For myself, I'm working on a Very Deconstructed Game called (tenatively) At What Cost, and if I actually manage to not get swamped by Day Job, I will post design diaries here, or sommat. I am hoping to have a playtestable version of it by Metatopia, assuming we're able to actually go to Metatopia this year. We'll see.<br /><br />Also, I should make sure I'm not under NDA before I talk about anything else I'm writing for anyone, but Harbinger and I will be at GenCon, so there's that.<br /><br /><h2>Reading</h2><div><b>Midgard Heroes - </b>by Kobold Press. More on this later as well, but the short version, there's a lot here I want to pick apart and feed on to grant my games strength, much like the necrophage described in its pages. <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/236914/Midgard-Heroes-Handbook-for-5th-Edition" target="_blank">Find it here</a>.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><b>In the Company of Unicorns</b> - by Rite Publishing, specifically, converted for 5e by my own dearest Harbinger. So, in the dim and tawdry days of 4e, I was working on a set of equine racial options called <a href="http://deck-of-many-things.blogspot.com/2011/04/pwny-island-4e-act-1.html" target="_blank">Pwny Island,</a>&nbsp;which apparently, I actually thought was funny at the time. I never finished it, like so many things, but look! B basically has- well, at least, the unicorns- and managed to make them interesting, serious but not over-earnest, and fairly compelling. I'm actually unironically interested in playing a unicorn character after reading this book. I really want to do some sessions with it and post roundup reviews, because Yeah I do! So really, go!&nbsp;<a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/240542/In-the-Company-of-Unicorns-5E" target="_blank">OBTAIN IT.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>From Kickstarter, we got our copies of Epyllion, Changeling 20th, and I'll be picking up Dawning Star at GenCon this year, and I'm further waiting on too long a list to mention, so I'll make the attempt to talk about those games as I receive them.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's the news. Why am I actually posting things now?&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>...well, why indeed.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Because I missed you, probably.</div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-8218746087950711052017-03-08T14:10:00.001-08:002017-03-08T14:13:47.943-08:00Dungeons and Dungeons (potentially, part the first)<br />Since Shieldhaven brought it up in the&nbsp;<a href="http://community.tribality.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&amp;t=11154&amp;p=14403#p14403" target="_blank">comments on this post</a>, I should talk a little about what I do when it comes to dungeon-running.<br /><br />I grew up playing my dad's AD&amp;D games, which were always dungeons. I think I've only run one game that was not a dungeon, and that one was a one shot for a single player. Contrariwise, except for my dad's game, I don't think I've played another D&amp;D game that has been primarily dungeon based. So I guess it is still a little odd that for me, when I am running a game, dungeon exploration is pretty much everything. Which isn't to say that the world above doesn't matter-- it certainly does. Just that the players won't typically be interacting with it directly; at least, not for some time.<br /><br />The part that can be chalked up to laziness is where I like the constraints that dungeons put on the party's immediate actions, at game start. There's this map, see? There's only so many directions they can go. I don't suddenly have to gen up a bunch of stuff I'm not prepared for (unless I haven't read my notes in a while, which has certainly happened), or come up with a more artificial way to use something I'd planned. What's there is there.<br /><br />That said, no one really wants to go through another boring hall after boring hall, fighting incongruous monsters and improbable traps that don't seem to have any reason to be there. Also, there's the problem where you find a bunch of loot that is difficult to impossible to spend, because there's not a ton of good shopping in the underground. Usually. So here's a list of things I think about when I'm preparing a dungeoncrawl campaign.<br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><h3>Who Lived There Before, And Who Lives There Now?</h3><div>The first two things to consider are who the structure was built for previously and to what purpose (which the DMG will help you with), and what's taken their place. This is really two items, but the first one is pretty straightforward: the contents of the dungeon should make sense for the dungeon's purpose. If it was a temple, there should be religious iconography. If it was a literal prison-dungeon, there should be some remnants of the horrible tortures and privations that took place here. My personal favorite, however, is the (probably) Abandoned Wizard Lair(tm). This setup justifies all kinds of crazy shit, including whatever you want to stock the place with now. Here, you mostly want to say something about who the Wizard was-- or still is-- with the contents of the dungeon. Want to justify a full range of asshole jellies and lurkers above? Maybe your wizard was really into turning people he didn't like into hostile sludge. Mimics and floating swords indicate someone who did a lot of item enchantment... maybe they created more and more intelligent items until one of them managed to win an ego contest.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Beyond the mechanics, the overall decor of the place should speak to the kind of person we're talking about here... decadent? Ascetic? Workmanlike and studious? Did they have apprentices? Merchants? Lavish Parties? Fey adherents? Summoned demonic servants? There's a lot you can imply with judicious window dressing.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>As I suggested above, the previous inhabitants do a lot to imply who or what is likely to have moved in in their absence. For example, a bunch of dumb kobolds aren't super likely to have moved into the Traps-Mage Haran Roeh's Super Deadly And Stunning Whirling-Blades-Of-Death-Maze-- at least, not if they came in by the front door, unless there's a huge pile of them lying dead at the entrance, and the traps themselves are smashed to bits. Sentient beings that _aren't_ a leftover experiment should be found in relatively insecure locations, unless they've placed or repaired the protections themselves. That said...&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><h3>Have Potentially Friendly Sentient Beings (who aren't the party) Present in the Dungeon.</h3>I have a lot of love for running into NPC adventuring parties, personally, but sometimes you want the place to have been undiscovered before the PCs get there. Well, "undiscovered". I think primarily uninhabited dungeons are great for mini-adventures in the course of a campaign, but if the bulk of your game is going to be the dungeon, there really needs to be something vaguely recognizable as people there. This can be a tribe of orcs or goblins, or better yet, a tribe of orcs skirmishing for territory with a tribe of goblins, that the PCs need to resolve to continue. This can be deep-dwelling nomads of whatever kind, were creatures, transmogrified humans, sentient jellies, modron-- whatever, so long as the PCs can come and have a chat with them in-between the violence. Or maybe they just charge in and murder them all, if that makes them happy. But there should be a sense of disruption if they do that; and an indication that they kinda just burst into these folks's living room.<br /><br />Why would you want to do this? Apart from breaking up the violence, this gives you a source for information about the dungeon (for a price), gear upgrades/improvements (that pesky, "where will I spend my gold if I'm underground?" problem), puzzles, and other suchlike. It also gives the dungeon a sense of being a living, breathing place that exists in the world. I mean, if you want to run something specifically about the idea of being perfectly frozen in time, that's cool, and I'm now thinking about how I'd make a metastory like that work, but once again, I think it'd be a good side-dish to the main campaign, rather than a campaign in and of itself.<br /><br /><h3>Have some baller loot, but also something to do with it.</h3>As I just mentioned, if you're handing out coin, yet your campaign is going deeper and deeper underground (or up in the air, the soaring tower dungeon is a pretty awesome idea too), your players might be a little confused over time with what to do with all that filthy lucre they're gathering. If you're like me, then you have at least one wise acre in your party who will interject periodically with the exact value in weight of a given number of gold pieces, possibly narrowly avoiding blunt force trauma with a printout of message board debates on encumbrance rules.<br /><br />Obviously, handing out usable loot is a good idea- magic items, better armor, spells, and training treasure (a whole other post I wist) are immediately useful and happy making. But what about straight-up coinage and non-magical items of value? Let's take a look at that:<br /><br />1) <b>provide an easy way in and out of the dungeon</b>. - this has its good points and its bad points. The less ground the party needs to cover to get in and out, the more likely they are to come back after they've gone to the surface and dumped a bunch of cash. However, you have to be careful with this, as depending on the method they're using, theoretically, other NPCs on the surface might start to get curious as to where these people are going and coming from that they have all this delightful moolah. On the other hand, that could be a pretty good story hook. Just remember that any method of egress left unguarded is likely to lead to cleared areas becoming most decidedly unclear. However, magical teleportation/hearthstone-like mechanics are a way around this, for sure.<br /><br />2) <b>Aforementioned NPCs</b>&nbsp;- having NPCs in the dungeon who will trade the party's cash for goods, info, or other suchlike is always a winner to me. I talked a little about that above, but for verisimilitude (avoiding the JRPG trope of WTF is this merchant doing way down here in this dangerous dungeon!?), unless you're mad gonzo on purpose, at least give a semi-plausible excuse-- like the decimated party just trying to escape as quickly as possible, or monsters who use surface coins and valuables as tradable goods in their subterranean economy, or...<br /><br />3) <b>The coin-operated puzzle </b>-<b> </b>Finally, you can come up with puzzles that consume cash as a part of their solution: metal eating monsters who can be distracted with coins, to avoid them trying to munch on the party's plate armor, traps that can be disarmed by inserting metal disks of a certain size in strategic locales, or, as Shieldhaven did once _not_ in a dungeon, a ritual that requires slagging a large amount of gold or electrum to accomplish a goal. This one can be fun and interesting, but 1) its hard to make it siphon off a large amount of cash without it feeling punitive and 2) the reward should be commiserate. After all, what is money? The ability to measure the relative value of rewards, and most importantly, the ability to choose your own reward in exchange for such currency. This method potentially sacrifices some of the choice, which has its own value, so if that is the case, be sure to make up for it.<br /><br />4) <b>The Skee-ball option</b>- As a follow up to the latter, consider that coins are merely one potential form of currency, and one that potentially has less value when you're deep in some wizard's abandoned lair with the back door to the fiery pits of doom (based on a true story). So if you can't spend _coins_ with the denziens of the dungeon, maybe they value something else, and maybe there's either a device, or some of the above options where you can trade hard currency for, well- carnival tickets to get the prize you actually want. Man, this illustrates the actual bizarreness of the carnival midway as game mechanic system, huh? Trade cashy money for tokens, then spend the tokens on $activity, then get tickets, then trade for random stuffed animals you suddenly REALLY want. So how to couch this in a game example?<br /><br />One idea: the players come upon a laboratory in the Wizard Whackjob's Nefarious Multi-Dimensional Demsene, which still seems to be in working order. There are a series of vials there containing various alchemical solutions, and the players learn, through skill checks/trial and error, that feeding coins of various metals to the solutions will generate a slew of mystical materials that, incidentally, the tribe of deep-dwelling but friendly dwarven bone-crafters especially covet. Inquiring with said tribe informs the party that they will happily make Super Awesome Carved Bone Gear and maybe even share some spells with your spellbook having types, in exchange for materials which hey! They can now suddenly craft (why don't the dwarves use the lab themselves? Maybe it's in a different part of the dungeon with some horrid beast the party has to deal with in between- or they just don't know about it. Come up with something- it's not complicated). Anyway, this preserves some reward choice, while also giving players something potentially skill based to do with the money. Bonus points if there's multiple groups of monsters/folks who are after the token materials, and whom the PCs have to keep in balance. Fun times!<br /><br /><br /><h3>Outro with procrastination</h3>There is, without question, a number of additional subjects to cover here- like traps, non-monster obstacles, and other things I have forgotten, but this post has seriously been in my drafts for over a year, and I should post it. So I am going to do that, and shamelessly solicit suggestions for additional dungeony-topics for a theoretical part II to this post. Leaving aside the likelihood that I post this and then think of six additional things I wanted to say, which is hardly impossible.<br /><br />Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-51381448922500657182016-03-04T22:31:00.000-08:002016-03-05T11:31:22.137-08:00In which there was Content.As of Sunday, I will be actually running a game again! My first time running some 5e, so it ought to be interesting. I am a huge fan of the megadungeon, so we'll see how that goes down, especially since it will be my first time running D&amp;D for <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shieldhaven</a>&nbsp;at all. Not the first time I've run a game he's played in; the first (and only) such being my Nobilis One Shot of great antiquity (that I never actually posted about &gt;&lt;). Anyway.<br /><br />My setting, which is called Liel, is the oh so original idea of taking a Sigil like crossroads and making it a whole world, rather than just a city. So pretty much all races and gods are available here. To reduce burden on myself (for some values of reduce), I re-wrote most of the PHB races to get rid of subraces, and broke some of the subrace options into a cultural bonus for being an immigrant (more recently come to this work) or being a colonist/native (originally from the world, or having immigrated so long ago it makes no difference). I also changed some things because the default races are different (humans are common, but not even a little default), and yeah. The important thing here is that the natives/colonists all have an option to take a feat at first level, and I know you're surprised that pretty much all of the PCs are doing that. Go figure!<br /><br />The main thing this does is make it so that I feel better about starting at first level, rather than going with my 3e inclination and starting everyone at 3rd.<br /><br />When I last ran this setting for 4e, I had a pantheon of gods that granted a background feat to their worshipers. Feats being tiny and fiddly, this was a lot of good fun to come up with. I wanted to do something similar for 5e, and funnily, it actually fits better. Because there are so many gods available in the world, the most common form of worship is called Giedame, where the worshiper selects six gods of their choice and focuses their piety upon them. Technically, a PC could choose gods not listed below (historically, Dragonlance gods are popular in the world :P), and I'd try to come up with something for that, but I've only actually written things for the gods I made up myself. So... below the cut I have:<br /><br /><br /><ul><li>1 new feat</li><li>a bunch of boons (about 1/3rd of a feat to mix &amp; match)</li><li>3 new spells (2 1st level spells (one of which is a ritual), 1 cantrip)</li></ul><div>And a bunch of gods for spicy flavor. Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div><div><a name='more'></a></div><br /><br /><h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.25em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">New Feat: Faithful Giedamede</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As a practitioner of Giedame, you choose 3 favored Gods. You gain 3 boons from the list below. If a single God offers multiple boons, you may only select one of them. You may take this feat up to two times. If you wish to worship a God not listed here, please discuss with the GM.</span>&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><h3 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.9px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>The Hero-Gods (Atailan)</strong></span></h3><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Hero-Gods, Begaren, Vai'Varin, and Pi'kati, are called thus because of their roles in various myths and stories. It is not known whether they were once people who lived and were later deified, but the stories treat them as if they once, indeed, lived in the world like men.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Begaren</strong><span style="font-size: 14.95px;">--&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size: 13px;">The God of Honor, Valour, and Nobility, his worship is common to warriors and those who value codes of honor above all else. In Ar'Siva, he is a favorite god of Military Knights, though his worship is more common in the other countries. His worship suggests proficiency with all manner of heavy (not thrown) swords and/or shields. His symbols are a sword or spear cutting through tendrils of dark energy coming from below, or a shield with a hand and three orbs upon it, parting a wave of dark energy from above.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Shield Brethen -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">When you have a shield equipped, you may spend a reaction to subtract 1d6 from a damage roll against an adjacent ally.</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Spear Brethren-&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you have a spear equipped, and are flanking, you and the flanking ally can add 1d4 to your melee attack rolls once per short rest.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Vai'Varin</strong></span><span style="font-size: 13px;">-- The God of Humility, this god is never himself depicted, though like Begaren, he is considered a hero-god, and spoken of as such. His symbol is a common household item-- a shoe, a kettle, a broom, et al-- held singly, or on a plain field. Healers most often worship of Vai'varin, and many nobles who care about their obligations serve him. He is a common household god on Ar'Siva. Those who follow Vai'Varin may choose from the following Background Feats:&nbsp;</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Helping Hand -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Adjacent Ally gains a +3 bonus to their surge value when they spend their second wind, +5 at 11th level and +7 at 21st.</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">50 Feet of Rope-&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You may spend your move action to grant one ally an extra 5 move before the end of your next turn. Allies who start a climb or a jump adjacent to you gain +2 to their Athletics check.</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">The Best Cook Ever -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">During an Extended Rest, you may sacrifice a hit die to restore an extra hit die of healing to all allies.</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.95px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Pi'kati</strong></span>-- the God of Tricksters and Rogues, he is a god widely worshiped by people in all walks of life. He is especially popular in Ar'Siva, in the country and among the proletariat. It is not uncommon, apart from those who are of the Rogue or Bard profession, for someone to feel themselves Pi'kati's in Soul, and honor him thusly. His symbol is a four-holed flute with one hand open and one hand closed; sometimes with his grinning Face behind it. Those who consider themselves Followers of Pi'kati may choose from the following boons:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Unassuming Pickpocket-&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">gain advantage on stealth and deception checks to perform a slight of hand-style action.</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Made You Look... -</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">once per short rest, when you disengage an enemy, grant advantage to the next attack made by an ally against that target.</span></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.9px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>The Quartet (Fari'dikan):&nbsp;</strong></span></h3><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Deities of Inspiration and Creation, the Quartet are also known as the Gods of Ascension. They skirt the line between the Lielin concepts of hero-deity&nbsp;and force-deity. &nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Alera</strong></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: &quot;segoe ui&quot; , &quot;lucida grande&quot; , &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">-- Like Pi'kati, the Goddess of Love and Beauty is worshiped universally. She is usually depicted with the Twins, Oriel &amp; Delel, and with the Goddess of Magic, Eleite. The Quartet is especially popular among&nbsp;young&nbsp;people, artists, poets, and Bards. If you follow Alera, you may choose from the following boons:</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Deadly Beauty -</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;When</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;wielding an</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">especially beautiful or ornate weapon, it counts as a magic weapon for purposes of resistance/</span>incorporeal<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">.&nbsp;</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Passive Persuasion -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">add your proficiency bonus to</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;all Persuasion checks, even if you are already proficient. This does not stack with&nbsp;</span>expertise<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">. You have disadvantage on Intimidate checks.</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Oriel and Delel</strong></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: &quot;segoe ui&quot; , &quot;lucida grande&quot; , &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">-- the Twin&nbsp;Deities&nbsp;of Song and Story, also known as Inspiration and Execution, are always worshiped&nbsp;in tandem.&nbsp; They are usually&nbsp;depicted&nbsp;being embraced from above by Alera, their hands joined, and from below&nbsp;by Eleite, or as two children holding a book between them, their hair entangled. They are a special favorite of Bards on all of the continents. If your Giedame includes worship of Oriel and Delel, you may choose from the following boons:</span></span><span style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Muse's Whisper -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">once per short rest, you may move out of an enemy's threatened area without triggering an opportunity attack.</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Inspired Action -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Once per short rest, you may take an extra reaction in a round. These must have two different triggers.</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Eleite</strong></span><span style="font-size: 13px;">-- The Goddess of Magic, when she is not grouped with Alera, Oriel, and Delel, is depicted as a woman formed out of a cloud, wreathed in stars, singing with her eyes closed. Above her hands she weaves arcane power. She is the patroness of Ar'Siva. If you follow her, you may choose from the following Boons:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><ul><li><strong>Dedicate Arcanist -&nbsp;</strong>add your proficiency bonus to arcana checks, even if you are already proficient. This does not stack with expertise. &nbsp;You have disadvantage on Religion checks unless they concern a member of the Quartet.</li><li>&nbsp;<strong style="text-align: justify;">Spellsong -&nbsp;</strong><span style="text-align: justify;">You may cast&nbsp;</span><em style="text-align: justify;">Spellsong</em><span style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;once per long rest without using a spell slot:&nbsp;</span></li></ul><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><em><b>Spellsong</b></em><br /><em>1</em><em>st level enchantment</em><br />Casting time: 1 action<span style="background-color: transparent;">&nbsp;</span><br />Range: 30 feet<br />Components: V,S<br />Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute<br />Effect: You create a 30' sphere of shimmering energy. Enemies who begin a turn, end a turn, or pass through this sphere while moving have disadvantage on their next saving through versus a spell.&nbsp;</blockquote><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><h3 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Quintet (Fani'Dikan)</span></strong></h3><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Gods of Detriment, The Quintet are always depicted as a pillar with Gelu'Oru at the Crown, and Geru'Naten at the base, the other three arranged between them with various exaggerated expressions. Worship of these deities is not inherently evil, however. If you are Giedame and you choose the worship of the entire Quintet, you may not choose to worship any member of the Quartet.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Gelu'oru</strong></span><span style="font-size: 13px;">--Destruction. Depicted as a shapeless, ghostlike figure with a crown, at the top of the Pillar of the Fani'Dikan.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Followers of Gelu'oru can choose from the following boons:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Praying for The End. -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you fall unconscious during combat, you may voluntarily fail one death save to be restored to consciousness with ten hit points. You also regain one expended spell slot, two sorcery points, 1 of any other class feature that resets on a long or short rest. The failed death save stays failed until you take a long rest,&nbsp;</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You may use this ability multiple times.</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;You still die immediately after three failed death saves.&nbsp;</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Praying for Tidal Waves. -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Once per encounter, if you hit with a power that targets creatures and does damage to an ally also, you may also knock enemies hit with the power prone.</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Watch it Come Down. -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You spend your Long Rest engaged in a chanting, violent ceremony to honor the forces of destruction. You sacrifice up to 2 hit dice to&nbsp;</span>re-roll<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;a number of 1s equal to the number of sacrificed hit dice on any roll until your next long rest.</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.95px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Abinde</strong></span>-- Law, depicted typically on the left side of the pillar (as facing the viewer), right hand raised. Abinde has no gender; its hair flows upwards and supports Okont.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Followers of Abinde can choose from the following boons:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">A Fair Shot</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">. &nbsp;-&nbsp;</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Once per long rest, you may choose a spell you have prepared which takes a spell slot, for which you roll an attack. That spell does not consume a spell slot on a miss the first time you miss with it.&nbsp;</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Against Bullying. -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">three times per short rest,</span><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you are flanked by enemies, and have no adjacent allies, those enemies gain -1d4 to attack and damage rolls. While this effect is active on you, You may not gain any advantage from flanking.&nbsp;Once per short rest, you may transfer this to an ally who is flanked as a reaction. This transfer lasts until your next turn.</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.95px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Okont</strong></span>-- Armies and War. A full, bipedal figure with arms raised, supporting Gelu'Oru in the pillar. He wears a three-pronged crown on his head, and is sometimes depicted as male, sometimes female, sometimes neither. He rests on the hair of Ab'inde and Guru'Naten, and sometimes his legs drape around the shoulders of a fifth figure, who is known only as the Hidden One.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Followers of Okont can choose from the following boons:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Choose Your Battlefield:&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">when an enemy misses you with an attack, you may spend your reaction to make an attack. If you hit, you do only weapon damage, and push the enemy up to 5', or 10' on a crit. You cannot apply sneak attack bonus, even if you qualify for it.</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">To Arms:&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you are adjacent to two or more allies when making an attack, you get +1d4 to hit, and grant 1 combat die to those allies, which lasts until the party's next short rest. Your allies may spend this die to add 1d4 to an attack roll, damage roll, or saving throw. Allies may only have 1 combat die at a time. This die does not stack with a die gained from&nbsp;<em>bless,&nbsp;</em>or another god's boon. You may use this ability three times per long rest.</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Combat Medic:&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You spend an extended rest going through the party's supplies and preparing more effective uses for your protectives. You lose two healing surges, and in your next encounter, adjacent allies may spend their second wind as a minor action.</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Enemy Mine -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can construct explosive devices that you may place in squares adjacent to you as an action. These constructs cost 40 GP each in alchemical components, and must be prepared during a Long rest, at the cost of 1 hit die. They do 5+1/2 level damage to any opponent who passes through the square in which they are lain. You may make a stealth (dex) check or thieves' tools check as a bonus action to hide the explosives, so that enemies are unaware of their presence.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.95px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Geru'naten</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-- Chaos,&nbsp;</span></strong>depicted typically on the right side of the pillar (as facing the viewer), left hand crossing their body, supporting Okont's leg. Geru'Naten is dual gendered; their hair flows upwards and supports Okont.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Selective Memory:&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">During your long rest, you may choose to take disadvantage to one skill in which you have proficiency to gain advantage to all checks to another skill, in which you do not have to be proficient.</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">The World is my Weapon:&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">With GM approval, you may choose an object not normally used as a weapon or&nbsp;implement&nbsp;in which to be proficient. Additional properties depend on the item chosen and the permission of the GM.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.95px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>The Hidden One</strong></span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-- This God is almost never worshiped, and never worshiped aloud. His servants do not use weapons, or any created thing if they can at all avoid it.&nbsp; If you are Giedame, you must have all of the other Fani'dikan as part of your Pantheon, plus either U'Nelege or U'Olgele in order to also honor the Hidden One. Thus, you may only gain A boon of the Hidden one on your second purchase of the Faithful feat.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>step softly:</strong>&nbsp;you gain advantage on stealth checks when you are not in direct sunlight, and you have nothing in your hands.&nbsp;</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>speak slowly:</strong>&nbsp;you gain the<em>&nbsp;insinuating whisper</em>&nbsp;cantrip, which uses intelligence as your casting stat. This spell may not be obtained any other way than through this boon:&nbsp;</li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em>insinuating whisper</em><br />illusion cantrip<br />range: 60'<br />components: V,S,M (a lump of black earth)<br />Duration: instantaneous<br /><br />you create an illusion of shadowy whispers, smothering your opponent's senses. Your opponent must pass a wisdom saving throw or be blinded until your next turn, and take 1d6 psychic damage.<br />This spell's damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th Level (4d6).&nbsp;</blockquote><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>known by no name</strong>: &nbsp;once per long rest, you may make a persuasion or deception check (charisma) to cause a target to forget the last interaction you had with them, up to 15 minutes of time.</li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16.9px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>The Uulen (The Forces)</strong></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">These&nbsp;deities&nbsp;are not ever considered people, even if their symbols are vaguely humaniform, and represent eternal concepts. There are no stories about these deities wherein they have personalities, as such, though their names may be mentioned.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>U'Nelege</strong><span style="font-size: 13px;">-- the God of Life and Birth is not so much worshiped as accepted as part of the universe. Single-minded worship of this diety is unusual except for Clerics and the specially called, though it is a common part of a Giedamede Pantheon. U'Neglege is typically shown as a figure with long hair, manipulating a vine of flames, but sometimes is shown as just the vine and hands. Those who worship U'Nelege may choose from the following boons:&nbsp;</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Death to the Dead -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1ce per short rest, an undead creature that you hit with radiant damage loses any necrotic resistance that it has.&nbsp;</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Stand With Me. -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can revive an&nbsp;unconscious&nbsp;ally within 10' with a medicine check, at no cost.&nbsp;</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Path of Life</strong>&nbsp;- once per short rest, you may sacrifice a spell slot of any level. Allies within 30' regain 1d6+level of sacrificed slot hp.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.95px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>U'Olgele</strong></span>-- the God of Darkness and the Dead, like U'Nelege, is not generally worshipped by itself except for those that use the Radiant or Necrotic power sources, are Aasimar, or Tieflings, though it is a common part of an Ar'Siva Giedamede Pantheon. Often depicted as a pair of hands and a timepiece, or a cloaked and hooded figure with a radiant aura, holding a timepiece. Those who follow U'Olgele&nbsp;may choose from the following boons:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Grave Resistance -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You have advantage on saving throws against effects that would cause necrotic or radiant damage.</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Contemplation of Mortality -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You spend your Long Rest in a ritual of scarification. Recover two fewer hit dice; any adjacent ally who is dropped to 0 hit points remains conscious until they fail their first death save, or they are no longer adjacent to you. They may continue to take actions on their turn.</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Gerulu</strong></span><span style="font-size: 13px;">-- nature's destructive force, storms, the weather. When depicted, shown as a vortex with flame rising from the top, sometimes with eyes and hands. Worshiped most often by sailors and druids, as well as those who cast Thunder and Lightning spells.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Hold hard the tempest -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can unfailingly predict weather conditions and effects, and determine whether such an effect is real or magical. Gain advantage on survival checks during inclement weather.&nbsp;</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Lightning Crashes, Thunder Rolls. -&nbsp;</strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Three times</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;per short rest, when you do damage to an enemy, you may change the damage type to thunder and lightning.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Togarini</strong></span><span style="font-size: 13px;">-- Earth's generosity, ore, raw materials. When depicted, shown as a coiled and hooded serpent, a serpent's head, or a crossed pickaxe and shovel, occasionally before a tree. Worshiped by miners, druids, and those with a connection to the earth, or its resources.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>The glittering way</strong>&nbsp;- once per long rest, you may cast&nbsp;<em>The Glittering Way&nbsp;</em>as a Ritual. If you are already a caster, you may inscribe this spell into your spell book at no cost (or add it to your other spells known for free) and cast it as normal.</span></li></ul><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em>The Glittering Way</em><br /><em>1st level divination (ritual)</em><br />components: V,M (see below)<br />While underground, you place an object made of precious material (a gold coin, a gemstone, etc) in the center of a ritual circle and call upon Togarini, the Serpent of the Stones and Earth, to guide you. As the object is consumed, you receive knowledge of the general distance and location of the nearest item composed of the same material located within the earth (ie, not in a creature's pockets, packs.) This spell will detect items in chests, unless those items are magically concealed.</blockquote><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>The gate in the rock -&nbsp;</strong>You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (investigation) checks to detect secret doors.</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>The comfort of the caves&nbsp;</strong>- &nbsp;You have advantage on survival checks made underground. You make may a wisdom (survival or perception) check with advantage to determine the direction and approximate distance of the nearest source of fresh water, if any, within a reasonable range.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: &quot;segoe ui&quot; , &quot;lucida grande&quot; , &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;"><br /></span></span></div><h2>Notes</h2>I want to add something else for Gerulu, but not sure what yet, though more damage is the obvious answer. <b>Hold Hard the Tempest</b> is pretty useless in a game, like mine, which is mostly underground, but if someone takes it I have ideas for how it might come up in a non-stupid and obvious way (hint: if there's a thunderstorm and you're 15 levels below the earth, it is probably magic). But, well, the thing it's replacing was impossible to translate-- originally, it extended zones for an extra turn (remember zones? I miss zones). Also, some of these are a little odd, because they're 4e conversions, and I tried to stay pretty close to the previous spirit. I may post those at some point, though poor Togarini didn't have any originally. So heh, maybe I'll wind up backfilling in reverse (filling?) for that.<br /><br />Also, you'll note some references to Flanking; this is because I am using the DMG optional rules for Flanking in this game, because I actually love position management in combat, and I want to experiment with encouraging it more. This is, of course, assuming anyone actually takes this feat even once (let alone the twice required to get you to the Hidden One), and so I find out how any of this plays.<br /><br />Finally, yes, I know that Insinuating Whisper is possibly too good for a cantrip. I figure the main reason it's okay is that it's a cantrip that you actually can't get til 4th level, because of the way it's locked. I generally hate that kind of content locking, but this whole thing is so optional it's ridiculous, so doing something that plays to the Optimal Build Through Fiddly Choices game is something I'm fairly comfortable with for these purposes.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-87357593172091597692015-06-29T08:44:00.002-07:002015-06-29T08:46:47.354-07:00Where she been, Oooh she been gone! (Sporadic Roundup #3)Over the past... several months, I completely forget what I've been doing. So let's talk briefly about what I've been up to lately:<br /><br /><br /><ul><li><b>Dungeons and Dragons 5e</b>&nbsp;-- I'm playing two games at the moment: <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shieldhaven's</a> <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/search/label/Aurikesh" target="_blank">Aurikesh</a> game (as I was, and will be, amen), and also a game called Reborn- a mostly online game run by a friend that I will call Mr. AWESOME. In the former, I am continuing to play my <a href="http://deck-of-many-things.blogspot.com/2012/11/sporadic-roundup.html" target="_blank">Veytikka Fighter and Beruch Warlock</a>, and have now added a <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2014/10/homebrewed-5e-races-of-aurikesh-revised.html" target="_blank">Kagandi Parthé </a>who is a <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2014/09/d-5e-royal-bloodline-sorcerous-origin.html" target="_blank">Royal Sorcerer</a>. My Warlock has been the subject of a lot of <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2015/03/d-5e-problems-in-warlock-design.html" target="_blank">tinkering</a>&nbsp;and fussing, but really, it was the addition of <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2015/06/d-5e-five-new-cleric-spells.html" target="_blank">a couple of new cleric cantrips</a> of Haven's that really helped me have fun in combat (I'm a tomelock, see). So it seems like a lot of the problem was that most of the cantrips at base just weren't interesting enough. Well, and the combination of a) needing to take Agonizing Blast (even though I didn't), and b) &nbsp;invocations being a little too much like build traps (see item a). But I digress. Hopefully, I'll also get to play a bit of Lost Mines of Phandelver fairly soon, so that will be cool. &nbsp;</li><li><b>13th Age</b> -- we started a game of 13th age, run by another friend I will call Batgirl, and I'm hoping we'll get to play more of that. I am playing something completely ridiculous, but it's been long enough I can't recall a lot of specifics.&nbsp;</li><li><b>Life is Strange</b>&nbsp;-- a Square Enix story game. I bought the season pass, and am on my second playthrough of episode 3, having completely fucked up the second episode in one playthrough. Or, well, allowed something bad enough to happen that I had to have a second one to see the other primary outcomes. There's 5 episodes total, and it's interesting to see how they handle the branching consequences. So I'm liking that.&nbsp;</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Also, I am working on a <a href="http://twinery.org/" target="_blank">Twine</a> game about books that change based on the order you read them in. I need to brush up on my JS skills so that I can possibly write some macros around more robust array functionality, because a lot depends on whether I can make conditional content around whether one item has a higher or lower array index than another. On the subject of a lot of fiddly, branching consequences. Anyway, when I have a playable demo, I will doubtless post it here-ish.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I have not been working on either of the tabletop game ideas I have; the one about psions, temporarily called The Red Ones, and the one about cities, working title: A City of Dolls and Monsters.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's the news in brief.&nbsp;</div>Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-5182212245768566742014-08-03T07:33:00.002-07:002014-10-06T16:48:28.497-07:00Sporadic Roundup #2It's been a while since I've done one of these, and as context is everything, let's talk about the Games I'm Playing Now. <br /><h2>Tabletop</h2><b>D&amp;D Next</b>: Run by <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/">Shieldhaven</a>. This is pretty much it for tabletop right now. We're still playing with the last playtest packet rules, which was a serious de-powering in a lot of ways, largely because this was always meant to be a level capped game, and D&amp;D Next introduced the "Apprentice Tier" of levels 1-3. While I'm kind of glad they just come out and <i>say</i> that you should start the game at level 3 if you want to have established, functional characters, it's still a little vexing. On the other hand, I guess it's all right to have the option to play helpless noobs if that's your thing, but it really, really isn't mine. Also, the introduction of Feats, and changes to two weapon fighting which have had the damage add to the off-hand weapon appear and disappear a few times in execution. Y'know, I am very tempted to remove the flat +1 AC bonus of two weapon fighting and replace it with an optional reaction (so the same slot as Attacks of Opportunity or, in our game, <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2013/02/d-next-design-idea-giving-ground.html">Give Ground</a>) that allowed you to impose disadvantage when an enemy attacks you. Now, there's some quibbling to make whether you should have to make that decision before or after you know if the attack hit, but that's a lot more cool and interesting to me than a flat AC add. Either way, my <a href="http://deck-of-many-things.blogspot.com/2012/11/sporadic-roundup.html">Veytikka Fighter's</a> claw damage is likely about to go down to 1d4, because of some other tweaks to the damage numbers. And as much as it pains me, it's likely the correct decision, because 1d6 on a weapon that can't be disarmed is boss as fuck. But I have a magic rapier now, so... yeah. I have not played my Warlock in some time, pending either a rebuild or the <a href="http://boingboing.net/2014/07/21/an-exclusive-look-at-the-new-d.html">formal re-release of the Warlock from Wizards</a>. And I should talk about my reactions to <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2013/09/homebrewed-d-next-new-warlock.html">Haven's proposed Warlock rebuild</a> in another post. Either way, the last session was incredibly great for character decisions and actual, fun play, and did a great job of reminding me what I like about D&amp;D in the first place. <br /><h2>Vidja Games</h2><b>Hearthstone</b>-- currently on hiatus because, while fun, one kind of has to cool down from high rage points every season.<br /><br />&nbsp;<b>Sunless Sea--</b> From Failbetter games; a companion to Fallen London. I want to do a post just on this, because I really love it, but it has the growing pains of something that really wants to be overt horror, and punitive, but also wants to reward exploration. This is an incredibly tough balance to strike, and I feel they're moving ever closer to actually hitting it.<br /><br /><b>Doki Doki Universe--</b> A pretty fun, extremely well written, and adorable game for the PS3; I spent about a week on this before hitting the end of the basic content. Haven't decided whether I want to pay for more... perhaps eventually. <br /><h2>Browser Games</h2><b>Flight Rising</b>-- a dragon breeding game, and another fascinating example of player-driven economy. The game presents objects of varying values that it sets, which are mostly irrelevant to the player prices except to set a floor... when you can get a thing by breeding or gathering, you have to sell it for a price that exceeds the vendor sale price, or in the case of dragons, the exalt (essentially, turn into game for money) price. It does some interesting things when the floor drops-- usually self-correcting. Anyway, it's another subject that really deserves its own post. Those are the main things I've been playing; in short, pretty much all of which I should post about more in-depth. Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-14109463966212530112014-05-05T08:00:00.002-07:002014-05-05T08:02:58.677-07:00Yes, Video Games are Art. There. I said it. This is a common question that's come up over and over: Are Video Games Art? If so, what makes them thus? And so on, and so forth. Typically, the argument is divided by people who don't care for games saying, "No! They're silly kids' entertainment, and cannot be Art!" and people who like games saying something that sounds a lot like, "well, I like them, so they must be Art!" and people who like games, but want to be snooty about it saying, "well, what is Art anyway? And some are Art, and some are not," et al.<br /><br />But what we're actually talking about here, at a fundamental level is legitimacy: should games be taken seriously as a medium and a format, or not?<br /><br />And yes, I am using Art with a capital A, because it _is_ to be high-falutin' here. Or some junk. And because I am unable to avoid pretension or fulmination, because I am not as awesome as <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com">Shieldhaven</a>. But I digress.<br /><br />First, we have to separate Art from value judgement. That is to say: whether or not you like something has nothing to do with it's status as Art. There's plenty of bad Art. But the fact remains that movies, books, music, and visual art are all Art, and video games combine these elements with interactivity... thus, Art. But there's another reason too... the economics, the production, and the marketing of video games are all consistent with those for Art of various media.<br /><br />I shall explain.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />Most specifically, it's the way that games are, and should be, marketed. It's been a long time since video games were, on the whole, treated as toys, to be played with and broken. The industry has grown with my generation, and has ripened into an incredibly sophisticated medium for storytelling and interaction. Thus, the way video games work in the market is way closer to how movies do-- there are trailers, there's an all-important opening weekend, and the quickest way to tank a game is, like with movies, to create it to pander to what the market research thinks. No one likes a game clone, just like no one likes a movie clone, and they happen with similar frequency. The problem is that the expectation of what will happen after release is different from a movie, and to a large degree, that doesn't make any sense.<br /><br />Now, there are differences in what roles are needed. Crew in a movie are replaced with developers, and while there's certainly movies that I kind of wish had a customer support email, that's typically not really necessary, while with games, it's pretty vital. Also, with games, you can segue into ongoing TV-show like territory with MMOs and DLC, for which you must constantly be creating content. The problem is that video game studios don't typically plan for the realities of maintenance, so it's a surprise when the product ships, and everyone is cut loose. Perhaps it is because the studios don't seem to budget as if they were making a film, or another piece of Art... they look at it like it's just another product, to be made as crowd-pleasing as possible and shoved out the door. And then they wonder why they fail.<br /><br />While I can imagine it'd be annoying to work with people so focused on their narrow vision of artistry that it stifles creativity and passion in the other direction, I strongly feel that the thing that makes a game great is similar to that which makes a movie great: people caring about making something that, if nothing else, they can enjoy and feel proud of. Passion and interest are vital to a successful game, like a successful film, and if you are making something that bores you, chances are, it's going to bore those who approach it as well.<br /><br />To be fair, this also happens to movies, and those movies are way more likely to suck. You may notice a consistency here. Pretty much all artistic forums which are approached from the stance of finding a formula to maximize profit are going to be kind of lame. You have to have something there which speaks to and <i>engages</i> the audience, else you're not going to last long. But that isn't the difference between making a commodity and making art. That's the difference between making good art, and bad art. And that's really what this conversation is about, and how it should be phrased. Because attacking games by denying what they actually are means that one is condemning more of them to be bad Art, by dividing them from the audiences that are looking for a solid narrative experience that they can take seriously, and which games provide in a way that not even movies can deliver.<br /><br />And yeah, approaching the business of games like one approaches the business of artistic media does not mean that it can't be good, mindless fun. I'm watching the Marvel movie franchise too. It's really ok. It's only the medium that needs to be taken seriously, not every individual piece of it. But no one puts "Gigli" up against "Casablanca" and uses the former to condemn the whole of the medium, while folks are perfectly willing to ignore "The Stanley Parable," "Portal," and "Brothers," to focus on "Candy Crush Saga" and pretty much any game based on a movie, and thus blast games as a whole. And that, frankly, is the wrong way to think about the whole thing. Games, like movies and TV shows, are not monolithic, and don't serve a single audience or demographic. And it'd be a great benefit to the whole industry if those connected with it, or remarking upon it, would stop pretending that this was the case.<br /><br />On which note, I leave you with these final thoughts:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ikAb-NYkseI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br /><br />Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-58424466326180730152013-10-08T11:43:00.000-07:002013-10-08T11:43:28.413-07:00Iron Edda WaRP: Kickstarter Stretch Goal Project!Whee! I've been tapped to head up a stretch goal for <a href="http://www.sandandsteam.net/2013/10/08/more-systems-and-some-analysis/" target="_blank">Iron Edda:War of Metal and Bone</a>; implementing it in the WaRP system, which I lerve from playing <i>Over the Edge</i>, as those who have read this blog for any length of time may know.&nbsp;&nbsp;There's some interesting possibilities here, and the Kickstarter begins in January, so there will be some time before we know if this will actually happen, but if so, I'll be posting my thoughts and progress here.<br /><br />Many thanks to Tracy Barnett of <a href="http://www.sandandsteam.net/" target="_blank">Sand and Steam</a> for the awesome that is this project, which is set in the world of the extremely cool novel he kickstarted previous, <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sandandsteam/iron-edda-sveidsdottir-inclusive-norse-fantasy" target="_blank">Iron Edda: Sveidsdottir</a>. Coz yeah!<br /><br />Also, check out the other extremely cool system options for this setting, throughout the Sand and Steam blog.Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-80275934599870512542013-09-30T14:15:00.000-07:002013-09-30T14:15:04.185-07:00Spells, Feats, and Advancement.When I was a kid, I fell in love with my dad's collection of Dungeons and Dragon's handbooks, and most especially the lists of spells and things. Sure, they were presented kind of prosaically and weren't laid out in a way that was especially useful, but as little scraps of interest, they were incredibly cool to me, and hinted at the neatness of being a wizard... keeping a prop spellbook, and questing for arcane knowledge to grow in awesomeness and power.<br /><br />When I was first able to roll up a character, then, I was extremely disappointed to learn that what I actually got was a tiny list of what was more-or-less available, with some obvious Best Choices, and of those, I could only cast a very few times a day, and had to decide how many times I thought I might cast a given thing. Which made the Best Choices at the beginning even more important.<br /><br />What I thought I wanted, at the time, was a removal of the limits on how many spells I could know/keep in spellbook, and a different way of approaching how many spells I could cast in a given day. And to some extent, I am still in favor of some slotted spells, some at-will cantrips, and prepping the spells themselves, rather than individual castings of the spells. That said, having automatic access to everything in the spell-book at level still wasn't, and isn't, to my mind, especially interesting. The problem, at bottom, was that the way one typically gains the spells is hugely uninteresting: to wit, you level up, and then you (most of the time, some DMs vary) just get access to the spells for your level, within the bounds of your int.<br /><br />Yawn.<br /><br />I have two basic issues with these things: one which has to do with the way spells are handed out, and the other which has to do with the way one advances at all. We'll address the first to begin with, since it's actually applicable in D&amp;D, and, some might argue, is the way the game ought to be run in the first place.<br /><br />It boils down to, "treat spells as treasure." Fully, entrench the spells in the story, as items and artifacts that are a part of the world beyond their utility/combat effectiveness. Sure, it is important that a starting mage have spells they can use and have fun with, but couching that in story about how they learned said spells, and creating the expectation that yes, the players will and can uncover new spells over the course of play that can be added to said spell book (whether or not the user can cast them right at that moment) is kind of nifty. I'd like to remove the idea of gaining spells from the idea of "gaining a level," which also brings me to my second point.<br /><br />The more I play games, the more I think I'm over the idea of levels as the primary form of advancement. <a href="http://standsinfire.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Stands-In-Fire</a>, at one point, suggested a system where you could learn one new skill/ability each session, and the more I think about it, the more I like that idea. I get, and I can pretty much be convinced that, for mages, it's important to limit capacity (ability to cast more powerful spells, and/or number of spells one can cast) in the early game and have that expand, just as I don't necessarily disagree with the argument that a fighter should get better at accuracy and damage as the game progresses. Doing something like that, however, would be antithetical enough to D&amp;D that you might as well start building a new game system around that idea. Which is certainly fine by me. The main idea here, for mages in specific (though I really love the too-underutilized idea of training/specialties as treasure from 4e), is that what advances is now much and at what power you can cast, so the level that matters is the level of the spell. You get new spells through play/research, and pretty specifically through play/research, so it's not grubbing through the boring Player's Handbook pick lists. Importantly to me, though maybe not so interesting to other people, this also removes the desire to plan ahead with spells, because you don't actually know what you're going to find in the course of play, but must think of cool ways to use the spells you earn/learn/find as you go along. Personally, I am not a fan of playing the build game, and I would very much like advancement to be tied directly to what happens in the course of play, rather than planned out in advance based on what is in a rulebook.<br /><br />But like I said, that could very well just be me.<br /><br />Since I touched on training treasure above, I want to take a moment to talk about Feat Systems, and why I don't care for the ones I've seen from 3.x to the current iteration in Next (yes, this includes 4e). Largely, I think they encourage optimal combo combo building, which encourages deep system mastery at the expense of newcomers, less devoted to build-play players, and in some cases, the balance of the game itself. The habit of stacking customization in feats, and then handing those feats out at regular level intervals has the effect (once again, to me), of making non-feat levels basically boring stops on one's way to grind to get to the next set of feats.<br /><br />I don't know what you like to play, but any tabletop game where it seems like a good and worthwhile use of time to grind high-xp monsters over and over to get closer to leveling has missed out on the thing I enjoy about playing a role-playing game: the figuring out of what one needs to go to achieve each individual goal. The goal in these situations is meta (more XP to get to the next level) and it's obvious what one needs to do (grind difficult monsters to get there). And yes, I'm not just talking about 4e-- this happened in 3.x games too. I prefer if the goal is less meta (one of the only times you'll see me say 'less meta' is desirable), more concrete, and more story oriented, for example, "we are seeking the monk who lives atop Forsaken Mountain that she might teach us the Awesome Ways of Awesome." Still, we're talking about advancement, but we're talking about something that's in the story.<br /><br />And now, I admit that it isn't the feats themselves I mind, it's the way they're handed out, and how they're presented to the players as, essentially, a shopping list to handle at level. I would have no objection to treating them, once again, as treasure, earned through acts and adventuring on the part of the players... you could have tomes of Dwarven Lumberjacking (as a tropetastic example) which teach superior skill in axes, or a cool ability that allows one to do a nifty maneuver while wielding an axe. Or enchantments/blessings that one can temporarily add to weapons, or meditations that allow one to focus one's energy on repelling blows, and improve AC for a time. And these items could pretty easily map to feats as they're written in any of the aforementioned editions, tying their distribution to and through play, rather than to something so arbitrary as level.<br /><br />To be completely fair, Arcana Evolved _did_ try to do this some with their spellcasting feats, by requiring ceremonies involving certain kinds of beings or creatures in order to obtain them, though the way they were presented was pretty much entirely though the rulebook, rather than being knowledge I think it would ever occur to anyone to organically acquire in play.<br /><br />Anyway, I also get that, for the most part, this can be handled through the GM's style of game running, rather than needing to be ensconced in rules, unless one is modifying how advancement works, of course. And I imagine that there are already systems in place that do the things I'm talking about more naturally.<br /><br />But huh, I'd also be open to running a gladiator/arena kind of game where the point was to build an optimal character from the beginning, and swap out pieces/choices between each session to tweak for effectiveness, as something of a crunchy 180 from my play-style, here. Hrm.<br /><br /><br />Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-47742330486497856862013-09-30T08:36:00.000-07:002013-09-30T08:36:44.542-07:00Keep it Classy, or the Paladin Problem.My dear <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Harbinger</a> has been doing the heavy listing on keeping track of <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/search/label/5e%20DnD" target="_blank">D&amp;D Next playtest reactions </a>of late, and now the last public one is out. That said, Mearls and Co. are still making some extremely interesting Legends and Lore posts, and the <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20130930" target="_blank">most recent one</a> has spurred me out of my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregnancy" target="_blank">complaisant atrophy</a> to make some comments.<br /><br />To begin with, I want to say that I am a huge fan of Four Core Classes, combine into neat-o concepts. This post addresses the former with the idea of Mage, Priest, Warrior, Trickster, but doesn't go into the latter at all, which is a bit disappointing. Trying to decide of the Monk is a Warrior or a Trickster (one or the other) is sort of silly IMHO; use the headers here as source types (which works for everyone except Trickster, really), and call a Monk a Trickster-Warrior (though I think of Monks as more Priesty-Warrior, like more-different flavored Paladins). Then you can have cool things like Magey-Priests, and Warrior-Mages, and so on.<br /><br />The problem as I see it here is that they're kind of trying to re-create Defender, Striker, Leader, Controller without actually doing that, but they're using terms that don't exactly apply to the same things. It's kind of an un-developed idea in the post, but what will make or break it, I think, is how and whether they decide to handle overlap.<br /><br />But then, I was a huge fan of Class/Background/Specialty, which sparked my imagination enough to create a Warlock with the priest background and a cool custom specialty of Harbinger's... which led to a neat story about an apostate priest who, not having been blessed with clerical powers, made a bargain with the Lords of the Fey, and belongs to an order who heals through bloodletting. I'm not saying that the current creation rules don't include things that will spark interesting story ideas (and a lot of the impetus for this idea came from the setting itself, to be fair), but in previous versions, I don't think it would have occurred to me to have a character who combined the divine and arcane, as there was really no good, supported way of expressing that idea mechanically. And the Priest Background kept it nicely limited. Personally (and while yes, I realise that there's a lot of mechanical variation and stuff they've done to legitimise it as a class), I'd have liked to see Paladins expressed solely as Fighters with the Priest background, or Clerics with the Warrior/Mercenary background (and related specialties), depending on their focus.<br /><br />It should now not surprise you that I don't care for a whole lot of additional classes, on the whole. I think that the impetus to come up with a bunch of mechanics for said classes tends to result in those classes being Just Better than anything basic... as the Paladin is in the most current playtest packet. A traditional Paladin problem. Which then results in everyone's favorite game: Nerf the Pally. It's an unfortunate cycle.<br /><br />Now, the chance of me running anything at all in the next... anytime soon is incredibly slim, but were I to do so, I would probably run out of some of those earlier packets, and keep the systems I like. Which is a definite advantage of the way the playtest has been run up to this point... we effectively have several partial, but playable games with a lot of different mechanics to pick, choose, and monkey around with. Which is awesome to me on a lot of levels, the most immediate of which is that I wouldn't ever run the current playtest as written-- I am sick to death of, "just start at 3rd level if you want to have fun" games, and that is very much where they've gone here.<br /><br />I have some additional thoughts on the first part of the post-- spells, spell lists, and the like, but that is a topic for another post, if I can rouse myself enough to make one later.Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-3204653087232203032013-08-26T06:58:00.000-07:002013-08-26T06:58:07.268-07:00Oh ya, Ouya.So, I haz an Ouya! I've actually had it for a while, but only got to turn it on once before we were caught up in moving and other boring, life-ly stuff. Now that stuff is more settled, here's my general impressions of the system.<br /><br />I want to like it, you see, I really want to like it. But every time I turn it on, it's one hassle after another... the controller won't connect, the wireless won't connect, there's only 6GB of space... I don't think I've seen an android phone with that little space. And the games I like so far are all a gig or so in size, which is just too bad.<br /><br />Speaking of games, it's a little like any indie website with a bunch of homebrewed games, except you have to download them on to your sad, tiny hard-drive, and the external storage hasn't had the kinks worked out yet. Either way, I'll be very happy when I can, say, hook up external storage and get it to work without having to look up a bunch of tutorials online.<br /><br />So far, of the games I've played, I'm enjoying 'Rose', 'Dub Wars' and 'Final Fantasy III' the best, as the latter is much more fun on a console than on my DS. 'Rose' is a point and click puzzle adventure which is dark and creepy, and by far the biggest game on my oyua, at 2.5GB or so. Ugh. Which is a shame, as it's my favorite.<br /><br />'Dub Wars' is a pretty neat Galaga-ish game, where the music controls your weapon systems and you fly around avoiding bad guys with your ship while trying to hit them with whatever weapons you happen to have at the moment. But the music is very good, and has helped make some progress in getting Shieldhaven to appreciate Dubstep. :D<br /><br />I've also played "Pinball Arcade", but can't recommend it for the Ouya, as the controller triggers are too sticky and laggy to be good flippers. Also, I've already purchased most of the tables I want for the ipad-- which has considerably more space-- and have no desire to pay for them again to play on a less responsive platform. Which is really sad, as I like the big screen, but eh.<br /><br />Either way, I still believe in what they're doing and want to give their SDK a spin at some point, so I'm holding out hope for improvements down the line.<br /><br />And that's the news from the indy console front.<br /><br /><br />Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-81398142986449245392013-06-12T07:29:00.000-07:002013-06-12T07:29:51.297-07:00For Love or ConsolesLike everyone else who cares about console gaming, I've been following the news from E3 about the Xbox One and the PS4 with great interest, and a lot of schadenfreude. And it is my responsibility (or some junk) to appraise you, the gaming public (or my tiny fraction thereof) of my thoughts.<br /><br />The short version: I won't be buying an Xbox One; I will be buying a PS4.<br /><br />The whys are pretty straightforward: the xbox 360 was a fair success, and I have a lot of money sunk into those games-- both from the xbox store, and in disc form. If they're not supporting that anymore, and all that money becomes so much vapor in the face of the new console? I have no reason to go for the new console. It is likely that anything new I want to play that they could offer will have a Steam version, or a PS4 version, and the <a href="http://www.gottabemobile.com/2013/06/10/microsoft-shows-off-13-exclusive-xbox-one-games/" target="_blank">listed exclusive games so far</a>? I only kind of care about Project Spark, and if Little Big Planet wasn't enough to get me to buy a PS3, I doubt the same will be true in reverse here. Also, the always-on internet brings up shades of EA and Origins, which rubs me eternally the wrong way. Being published by EA is kind of a strike against any game, to me, unless it's name is "The Sims".<br /><br />On the other side, the PS4's announcement that they'll still support disc play where you can r<a href="http://www.gamepolitics.com/2013/06/11/how-share-games-ps4#.Ubh3PfaG0v4"><span alt="google 'sick burn ps4' for the lulz" id="goog_809883688"></span>esell/share said discs with whomever you want<span id="goog_809883689"></span></a> is a big moral victory for them. On top of that, the $399 price tag undercuts Xbox One's $499 price tag, although it's still stupid high.<br /><br />On the tippy top of that, there's the fact that, as I indicated above, I don't have a PS3, and so have no investment in their previous catalogue of games. So for those for whom that's a concern... well, fair enough. They do seem to be invested in making their game backlog available digitally, though it would annoy me to have to re-pay for everything in a format that's going to eat HD space.<br /><br />Anyway, it amuses me (and I think this was the case in the last console generation switch), that Sony is kind of in a better position precisely because the PS3 was dominated by the Xbox 360. I've already held onto my PS2 this long; it's no skin off me to keep it, and it's not worth enough to trade in anyway. Also, I'm kind of hoping that Microsoft's shitty, uncool business practices and limitations will prove it's monetary downfall in this cycle, that the initial launch of the Xbox One will be a failure (and anything running on a full server model always has the best launch evar amirite?), and they'll have to revamp their strategy based on what folks actually want.<br /><br />In the meantime, I am still waiting for my damn Ouya to arrive.Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-62414053669141858122013-05-07T10:13:00.004-07:002013-05-07T10:13:45.082-07:00Schrodinger's Bioshock Part 3: on Disappointment and Deus Ex.Because I can't <a href="http://deck-of-many-things.blogspot.com/2013/04/schrodingers-bioshock.html" target="_blank">leave well</a> <a href="http://deck-of-many-things.blogspot.com/2013/04/schrodingers-bioshock-part-2-one-about.html" target="_blank">enough alone</a>, I realise I still have things to say about Bioshock: Infinite, somehow, someway. This is because, the further I get from it, the more lingeringly disappointed I am in how it played. And I realised during one of my habitual Long Ass Road Trips with <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shieldhaven</a>, that part of why is because I've played (and still need to finish) <a href="http://www.deusex.com/" target="_blank">Deus Ex: Human Revolution</a>. Bizarrely, rather than wanting to continue in the mechanical legacy of its predecessors, it felt very strongly as though Infinite really <i>wanted</i> to be like Deus Ex-- but failed. That is to say: It wanted a Pacifist Playthrough option.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />This may have something to do with the setup. In Infinite, you walk into a relatively peaceful, lovely place... you can wander around, chat with people some, the works. Then things go horribly wrong, and you're scrambling from gunfight to gunfight in a way that... okay, initially anyway, it does feel like the reasons for the gunfights are at least connected to something you just did. But later, you never know, walking into a situation, whether people are going to be aggro'd or not, and once they're aggro'd on you... well, I guess it's gunfight mania forever, and I, at least, was sort of bewildered and unhappy at why I was even fighting in the first place.<br /><br />This is especially unsatisfying once the Vox Populi turn on you, as the reason you're given for it is that you're already dead in that world (of being goodly and awesome, btw), and the present you is "simply&nbsp;inconvenient&nbsp;." Yeah, okay. So now I have to gun down a ton of people I feel like I _should_ be able to talk to and reason with, but well... the game wants me to have a bunch of staged gunfights, and I didn't even get to choose the arenas. The tear bennies are pretty easy to prioritize: turret/mosquito &gt; Friendly Patriot, then healing kits/Salts &nbsp;&gt; a hook for exploring, rinse, repeat. Ignore guns to switch to, unless out of ammo, and a lot of times even then. Ignore cover (unless you're out of ammo and about to die and too far from health kits and Elizabeth is being useless-- so again, ignore cover), because this game couldn't find cover shooter mechanics with both hands and a flashlight, so you're never really going to be able to tactically take cover and shoot in a smooth way. So the choice is kind of lame there.<br /><br />In thinking about why this was unsatisfying, I realised that, if this game had been Deus Ex, the NPCs opening fire on me like that would be a failure condition. I'd reload and try again until I could do it without being seen/getting shot. And there's not really a good way to do that in this game without skipping content they expect you to see, and that's a bloody shame.<br /><br />Oh-- another note. At the festival in the beginning, the incident that triggers all the violence, you're identified by the 'AD' on your hand. However, one of the later moments gives you one of the very few choices you have, which can result either in you getting stabbed in the hand and wearing a bandage the rest of the game, or not. When you wear this bandage, it covers-- you guessed it!-- the AD on your hand. That the plot did <i>nothing</i> at all with this seems like a hugely wasted opportunity.<br /><br />Bit of a tangent-- I've had a lot of conversations lately about what makes a game, as a whole, Good, and/or Successful? And I'm thinking that, in order to reach either bar, the game has to have at least One Thing that the developers cared enough about to make a labor of love. Players know when they're being treated like idiots, and generally respond to damns being given, at least somewhat. In some games, it's the graphics, or the story, or the combat mechanics, or the puzzles, or whathaveyou. The more of these you have, the better. It doesn't&nbsp;guarantee&nbsp;success, but it has a lot better chance. Now, the other measure at play here is Expectation. If you're a small, hitless studio, no one expects you to care, so when you put out something that shows that you do, you're way more likely to be lauded and made much of.<br /><br />But when you have a reputation like Irrational does at this point, and when you've put out games like the first (and I would argue) second Bioshock games, you're expected to care about everything, all the time, enough to really get it right... and here, it's pretty clear that it was only story, and only, ever story, to the point where everything else was sacrificed to make that happen. Including making it an actual game.<br /><br />So in the end, that has to be my final assessment of this title. A lot of awesome ideas, and a story that won't quit (near-literally)-- and a string of hugely wasted opportunities. I hope the next&nbsp;offering&nbsp;from Irrational has more to it.Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-34916224569175640092013-04-29T21:08:00.002-07:002015-12-01T20:45:48.842-08:00Schrodinger's Bioshock Part 2: The One About Story (They're All About Story)So, <a href="http://deck-of-many-things.blogspot.com/2013/04/schrodingers-bioshock.html" target="_blank">now that I've taken some time away from i</a>t, let's talk about the story of Bioshock: Infinite. You know, the most interesting things about it. Many, many spoilers to follow, but for those of who who haven't played it yet, I'll begin with First Principles: where it succeeds, it succeeds admirably; where it fails, it provides a sort of meta context on&nbsp;inadequacy&nbsp;and a fundamental misunderstanding of it's medium. And there I leave you, because admittedly, if you haven't played it, what follows will not make much sense.<br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br />By now, you know that the story in Bioshock: Infinite is, and feels, way more railroady than the first two. The choices you see are completely irrelevant to the overarching story, calling out choice as illusory. In the first two games, the&nbsp;persistence&nbsp;of the choice point (the temptation to deviate from a choice made once or twice, or more, through the harvest mechanic) masks the illusion in a way that is not un-masked until you go on youTube and watch all the endings that were&nbsp;available. And if you did that, Ken Levine's comment in <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/04/20/videogame-developer-ken-levine-talks-bioshock-infinite-and-politics/?blog_id=120&amp;post_id=69787" target="_blank">this article</a> about how he's not good with branching narrative is pretty self evident. So, in Bioshock: Infinite, he throws the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak, and simply has the player fight their way through, essentially, his screenplay.<br /><br />Fortunately, his screenplay is pretty interesting, though I can't help but think that most of the people who have commented on the story of this game have not actually finished the second one. Because it's the same bloody story. You're a guy who has half-stumbled, half-been fated to endure through a quasi-religious setup centered around a messianic girl-child called "The Lamb," controlled by a totalitarian,&nbsp;oppressive&nbsp;parent. And yet, a bunch of reviewers said there was no connection to the second game?<br /><br />Kay.<br /><br />Anyway, it drives home that each of the Bioshock games are about Fatherhood, in their own way. The first-- and least mythic-- of them does so with The Twist, with Atlas, and with the obvious Big Daddy/Little Sister thang. The second game puts you in the role of the Big Daddy, in conflict with an evil mother figure. The outcome determines whether you have taught your devoted little girl to be a ruthless killer, or to dispense mercy where she can. And the last game focuses the conflict between two possible futures that have, in a Schrodinger sort of way, have already played out: two kinds of being a completely shitty father. One, Booker, is a neglectful waste of life unable to care for himself or a baby given the death of his wife. The second, Comstock, wants to make his daughter into alt.him, and sacrifices everyone-- including his wife-- to do it.<br /><br />This would be a big huge yawn, except the consistent theme throughout the three games, tying them together, appeals to me. Even the pre-release promotional ARG for Bioshock 2, <a href="http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/There%27s_Something_in_the_Sea" target="_blank">There's Something In the Sea</a>, continues this theme, following the story of a man obsessed with stories of kidnapped little girls, whose own daughter is eventually kidnapped-- presumably taken to Rapture and turned into a Little Sister. Interestingly, his wife is <a href="http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Amanda_Meltzer" target="_blank">uninvolved with the hunt</a>, and thinks he's crazy. But Bioshock isn't really kind to mothers and mother figures in it's lore.<br /><br />Anyway, the Fatherhood theme is much more interesting to me than the Eternal&nbsp;Recurrence&nbsp; "There's always a man, always a city, always a lighthouse" theme. The man, city, and lighthouse are iconic, but have no meaning beyond their presence, which is a damn shame in such a sea of metaphors as these games manage. The end result is a kind of multiversal welsh-plot Fight Club, where the man has to face his Other Self (and necessarily kill him), not once but twice-- once without knowing what he's doing (in a strangely anti-climactic scene), and once knowing what he's doing enough to allow himself to be killed (in a sequence where you couldn't make a choice if you'd wanted to, but does manage to accomplish excellent climax). In retrospect, it seems an oddly empty tale, except for it's metatext-- it's pretty much an interactive novel with combat. Is that a bad thing? No, not really. Just bizarre and unexpected in a disappointing way, rather than a direct way.<br /><br />The You Are Actually Alt.Dimension Comstock thing is, of course, the loop that is broken by the presence of the Observer, which gets back to the most interesting point of all this. Levine talks at length about wanting to interact with the player, as in, observe what they go through at the moment of choice, while caring very little about the actual outcome. Which is amusing, as the most poignant choice you have is all meta: do you observe the story, or do you not observe.<br /><br />Once again, I say it's worth observing, at least once, for the discourse.Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-20253886199313482632013-04-22T07:46:00.001-07:002013-04-22T07:46:31.769-07:00Podcast like a boss.In which <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shieldhaven</a> and I are interviewed for a podcast by the&nbsp;marvelous&nbsp;Regina and Rhonda of <a href="http://www.gameongirl.com/podcast-posts/2013/4/16/episode-58-larpers-brandes-and-rabbit.html" target="_blank">Game on Girl</a>. We talk LARP, character types, and more. Hooray!Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-88066430770122218862013-04-19T09:32:00.000-07:002013-04-19T09:39:36.522-07:00Information Presentation: D&D Next and Fight Building.<a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shieldhaven</a> having sent me the latest <a href="http://community.wizards.com/dndnext/blog/2013/04/18/dd_next_qa:_immunities,_two-weapon_fighting__signature_abilties" target="_blank">Legends and Lore</a> post, I was struck by the following portion:<br /><div><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div class="CoreBody" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><b>Is a monster having immunity to non-magical weapons negating the concept of not strictly needing magic items?&nbsp;&nbsp;Or is the intent to force players to get creative when facing such monsters?</b></div><div class="CoreBody" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">We believe that not all monsters need to be able to be defeated in a straight, head-on fight. Some monsters should require players characters to either have the right tools for the job (in this case, magic items), or be creative in how they deal with them. We don’t want the answer to every monster problem to automatically be “stab it until it dies,” and that goes for spellcasting, too; there may well be monsters that end up in the game that cannot be harmed by spells. We think this is good for two reasons: one, it makes having the right tool for the job (and the tool itself) much more special and valuable, and makes the player feel good for having it; and two, it adds texture and problem-solving to adventures rather than encouraging players to simply barrel through every adventure using violence as the only solution.</div><div class="CoreBody" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">All that having been said, any time we deal with something as impactful as immunity to spells or immunity to nonmagical weapons, we have to be sparing with how often we sprinkle it throughout the game. We don’t want to end up in a situation where those monsters that provide that texture become the standard, creating a reversal where players are frequently frustrated by having to constantly deal with monsters that cannot be harmed by traditional means. Like all things that present a non-traditional challenge to the players, we need to be judicious in their use so that they retain their value as an exceptional thing that provides texture, not a constant source of frustration.</div></blockquote><br />All good points on the part of Rodney Thompson (thanks to Haven for the edit. :P), but what doesn't get addressed here is how to use them as a GM. "We" here doesn't seem to imply the GM, after all, but the overall design. And that's fair; they're clearly aware that giving even a significant portion of the monsters huge, sweeping immunities could easily lead to a lot of player frustration. What they don't get into, and what I'd really like to see in a DMG 1, are some basic uses for monsters with weapon/magic immunities, and how to make them fun.<br /><br />For starters, don't have that be the only kind of monster in a given battle.<br /><br />This could actually be a very general statement: where possible, include monsters of different types, with different strengths and weaknesses. The NPC roles of 4e were very useful for this, as having a controller, a couple soldiers, and a bunch of minions with complementary abilities often made for complex and engaging fights with a lot of layers. The magic or weapon immune monster could be likewise interesting, but the trick is providing enough stuff for the characters whose go-tos are obsolete something to do.<br /><br />Thus, my next suggestion is, where possible, include manipulable elements in the combat location, and make sure that the excludes players can use them. In a battle where the big bad is immune to spells, don't have a lot of strength-check challenges, but structural items that spells can weaken and knock into the monster? Pretty awesome. In one where the monster is immune to non-magical weaponry, having a lot of mundane adds, or say... having something like a giant fire-pit where the fighters can temporarily gain a swing or two of enchant, but have to do something to keep it going? Very cool, and gives everyone something to think about while the combat is going on. If you can't tell, I was madly in love with terrain powers, zones, swarms, and special terrain in 4e, and I very much hope to see those come back in D&amp;D next.<br /><br />I think in general, a basic ideas guide in the main released DMG on how to stat fights for this edition, and how to set up the fights to be entertaining would go a long way in helping everyone at the table have fun with it. At this point, most people playing/testing Next have a lot of expectations and habits built up from previous editions. A little bit of guidance in how to make the most of this one, and how to realise what the designers had in mind for combat structure, would be a very good jumping off place for making it their own.Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-43750843599485531192013-04-17T10:48:00.000-07:002013-04-17T10:48:51.894-07:00A note.Just so it is Written:<br /><br />I am currently playing Planescape: Torment for the first time.<br /><br />Holy shitballs, why did I not play this ten years ago!?<br /><br />(And I'm still in the !&amp;@^!&amp;%@$! Hive. :P )<br /><br />xoxo,<br />KainenchenRabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-89730473797344680592013-04-04T13:30:00.000-07:002013-04-04T13:30:18.454-07:00Schrodinger's Bioshock.So, yeah, I played it, I beat it, and you know what? I'm not going to talk about the story. Not right now, anyway. Or maybe I will, and maybe I won't. I guess you'll see at the end of the post.<br /><br />What I want to talk about tonight, ladies and gentlemen, is gameplay. To begin with, Devin's side of <a href="http://badassdigest.com/2013/04/03/hulk-vs-devin-vs-bioshock-infinite/" target="_blank">this review</a>&nbsp;pretty much sums up everything I thought about actually playing the game. Combat, as it starts, mostly felt grafted on, clunky, and in the way of getting to the next part of the drama I am here to see. Which makes it a real shame that the presence of the combat is the only thing that actually makes this a game.<br /><br />(Are there spoilers under the cut? The only way to know is observation.)<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />Not that there's anything wrong with that in the abstract... a linear story interspersed with battles and cutscenes is a tried and true format that ain't hurting anyone. The problem is that from this franchise, I expected more.<br /><br />Ken Levine was interviewed in an <a href="http://mashable.com/2013/02/27/bioshock-infinite-kevin-levine/" target="_blank">article for Mashable</a> that focused on the illusion of choice in Bioshock: infinite, where he talks about, well... how choice is largely an illusion. To quote:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">Levine is not so much interested in how choices change gameplay, but how the player feels in that moment of choice.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">"It's interesting that people put value in things that actually have no real world meaning," Levine says. "But that's the wonderful thing about fiction; people sort of hook value to things in their head that don't actually exist. Attaching emotional value to things that don't exist is the joy of art — and the definition of insanity."</div></blockquote>This bugs me, and it bugs me on a lot of levels, because the thing that defines a game as a game is that you get to make choices. Otherwise, it's reading books, or watching TV, except instead of turning a page, you're pressing X to see the next bit. There's an arcade game the name of which I can't remember, except pretty much all you did was press a button and watch the next part of the animation. And there's swaths of Bioshock Infinite that feel uncomfortably like that. You don't have any choice in whether you do most of the things in the game, but in a way that is not so wonderfully enfolded in the narrative as it is in Bioshock 1-- possibly because in the first game, the moment where the&nbsp;linearity&nbsp;is lampshaded for you occurs right in the middle of the game, and is wrapped in some brilliant story. In the third installment, you know that _some_ explanation for it will be coming, but it's not until pretty much the end when it's slathered on you with a trowel and some high-minded cosmic-meta stuff: a divine justification for Why It Had To Be This Way, and you've been kind of limping through, frustrated by enegmatic, mostly contextless "choices" that don't actually change much of anything about the game in any meaningful way. Which is all part of one of Levine's apparent points: Choice is an illusion.<br /><br />Yeah, sure, but as game players, we know that on some basic level. We know that we can only play the game we're given. To moralize about that is depressing and results in what looks like sloppiness. Putting actual choice points that give the feeling of interaction with, and meaningful response from the world is much harder, much more rare, and to my mind, was much more successful with the first two bioshock installments.<br /><br />Yes, I loved Bioshock 2, and I don't get why it was so broadly panned... though I didn't fully understand what I loved about it until finishing&nbsp;Infinite. it boils down to this: I always felt like I was playing a game _while_ I was ingesting the story, and I as making choices that mattered to me, largely about combat.<br /><br />Devin has this to say about the combat in Bioshock: Inifnite, which, as I've said, I could not have put better:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">"At one point I entered a town square with Elizabeth at my side and I saw the familiar flickering of ‘tears’ that would give me skyhooks or cover or automatons or weapons and I groaned. I just groaned. I knew what was coming next - a couple of waves of samey enemies who would come, seemingly, from nowhere. I would have to try and triangulate their location by listening to them screaming “I’ll murder you!” and also by seeing from which direction their bullets hit me. I knew there would be about four or five minutes of repetitive spamming of my triggers, running in circles and spamming the X button to quicksearch corpses and to grab stuff from Elizabeth. And I knew I wanted no part of it anymore..." [much later in the article]</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">&nbsp;"...</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I do wish I liked the game as much as everybody else; I think that if I found the gameplay more satisfying I’d be happier with the game in general. As it stands the on-rails nature of the game turned every combat encounter into an irritating halt in forward momentum."</span></blockquote>And this is pretty much every single combat in the game. There's none of the awesome, 'set up your area, then trigger the combat' play that made the Big Daddy fights so much fun in Bioshock 1 (everyone had a different recipe for success there), and that was improved upon with the Big Daddy Fights and the Defend the Harvesting Sister fights in Bioshock 2. Even the Big Sister fights you could reasonably anticipate and trigger, through creative choosing of when and how often to have little sisters harvest ADAM. This gave a whole level of tactical complexity to your weapon and plasmid loadout choices that I enjoyed immensely. In addition to that, and the return of the Little Sister moral choice points, you had three additional choices to let spare or kill someone which had an effect on the ending, and which were reasonably interesting. And no, maybe the story wasn't _as_ good as the first game (when it was new, and also had Sander Cohen), but in its way, Infinite is a re-tread of the second game's story, except with Comstock instead of Sofia Lamb (because we can't leave the blood of the lamb metaphor alone, can we?), and a much more victimized and less interesting Saviour!Girl character in Elizabeth, instead of the impressionable badass we had in Eleanor.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and there was a lockpicking minigame. Even though it was a simple dial, you could fail it, and that mattered to me, much more than, "run around trying to find lockpicks, which, by the way, you won't in the early game, when you need them, so your NPC buddy can open the door." For, you guessed it: the price of a clicked button. Code ciphers work pretty much the same way... it's pretty much a scavenger hunt for ciphers and vox codebooks, which would be fine if the rest of gameplay had any flavor to it whatsoever, but at the end of the day, I wanted agency to do _something_ meaningful apart from choosing which weapon/vigor combo to use to kill which round of pointlessly (being unspliced) enemies to-day. And I already have my preferred scavenger hunt minigame with the Voxphones and the Kinetoscopes, which were awesome, atmospheric, and interesting.<br /><br />And so I ccome to another thing that bugged me, and a place where, whatever the creators say, I think that raw gameplay won out over and sold out the story in kind of an egregious way: the Vox Populi as eventual enemies.<br /><br />The game's marketing materials gives you the impression that you will have a faction choice between the rebellious Vox and the oppressive Founders. Even the pre-order minigame, <a href="http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/BioShock_Infinite:_Industrial_Revolution" target="_blank">Industrial Revolution</a>, bows to this conceit, allowing the player to get a Vox or Founder banner for their facebook page. Yeah... this isn't actually going to come up in the game. The game will just tell you, flat out, that the Vox are just as bad as the Founders in French Revolution-esque ways (ironic, in a game that's about a hyper-fetishized daydream of post-colonial America, set not quite 50 years after the end of the civil war), creating a semi-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_equivalence" target="_blank">false equivalence</a>&nbsp;between the two factions that does not take into account that one of them has a legitimate complaint against the other, and has, in fact, been the subject of criminal injustice. I say semi, because to the player, the equivalence is this: after a certain point, both factions will shoot you on sight.<br /><br />So why is this a gameplay issue? Because if the Vox didn't suddenly go all shoot-on-sight with you, there goes most of the combat encounters from about the midway-point on, and well, it's supposed to be a shooter, right?<br /><br />So I've talked some about the story, in spite of my intentions, because the two things (gameplay and story) are&nbsp;integrated&nbsp;at least enough to make talking about the weaker one (gameplay) extremely difficult without touching on the stronger. And the story is compelling and interesting, in spite of its aching flaws. And it has a number of those. The most interesting characters are the Luteces, whose story sets up the whole Schrodinger's Box nature of the narrative... in an infinite setting, where everything that can happen can be theoretically observed by an outside force via the 'tears', each world is a different Schrodinger's box of possibility, where the characters are both dead and not dead, via different means. The genius of this is that in the one storyline that we play through, there is another, non-narrative observer: the player themselves. Because of this observer, by the end of the game, all real uncertainty (in the game itself) is resolved into a firm and definite answer between the two options: Alive and Not Alive. Even the stinger at the end reinforces that-- any uncertainty is not a result of what we observe, but what we are not permitted to observe.<br /><br />And if you read the above paragraph and think, "well, yeah, but I observed the whole thing and I'm still super uncertain about what happened!" well, consider that a lingering artifact of pondering something that fiction, in whatever medium it is housed, handles very well and which reality doesn't at all: paradox.<br /><br />Now that we've come to the end of all that, there's yet another thing one may be uncertain about: Did Kainenchen like the damn game?<br /><br />Well, mostly, yeah. And yeah, I'll probably play it again.<br /><br />I still have to get all the Voxphones, after all.Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-3375462051723362012-11-19T10:01:00.000-08:002012-11-19T10:15:14.968-08:00Sporadic Roundup!So, my gaming has been... spotty, at best, but I figured that it was probably time to go and take stock of what I'm playing, for my own edification, if nothing else.<br /><br />First off, quick shout-out to the i<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104356358088070229382/posts" target="_blank">ndie+ gaming circle </a>on G+, which has more or less got me back into a thinking about games, and writing about them. And, of course, <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shieldhaven</a>, who is running some D&amp;D Next stuff for which I have a couple of alts. And, as I am a lazy git when it comes to filling out WOTC's feedback, I might as well talk about my impressions somewhere.<br /><br /><h2><b>Tabletop</b></h2><b>Arcana Evolved: </b>Yeah, still playing that. Made it to level 14, are Runechildren now. Still not a fan of 3.5 style combat.<br /><b>D&amp;D Next: </b>As I <a href="http://deck-of-many-things.blogspot.com/2012/11/grandiose-plans.html" target="_blank">mentioned a little earlier</a>, I have two characters in Shieldhaven's game: a Veytikka duelist-bounty hunter, and a Beruch FEy-Pact Warlock. So far, I really like the fighter's stuff in combat, though Shieldhaven changed up the dual-wielder specialty a little to make it less crappy. Warlocks, on the other hand, are very dull in combat, but, well, the class is basically sooooo two playtest packets ago. Will actually go into this more in-depth in a little bit.<br /><b>Over the Edge:</b> Have not played as much of this as I'd like, for realio.<br /><b>Ptolus: </b>played a session of this, and boy, I'd forgotten how much I prefer Pathfinder to core 3.x rules. <a href="http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateMagic/spellcasters/magus.html" target="_blank">Magus</a> is completely broken, however, and... hm, there's probably a post brewing in how much I dislike +ECL classes (I was playing a Minotaur, but we hacked it to avoid ECL).<br /><b>My Game: </b>has been on hiatus about forever, largely due to a complete lack of time. And also because levelling without DDI, which I am not currently paying for, is pretty much lame. But I've probably talked enough previously about how badly I think WOTC bungled that one.<br /><b>Mage: the Awakening</b>:&nbsp; Has now wrapped, after we murdered the face of the Red Word cult. I made it to Mind 5, Space 3 as a Mastigos, and I feel pretty good about that. There's some political goals that I will pretend happened as a result of us being awesome and sticking it to the Abyss, even though they did not occur on screen, primarily getting rid of the current head of the Consilium, and installing this Mysterium dude, Potestas. <br /><br /><h2>LARP</h2><b>Dust to Dust: </b>Just passed it's 6th event, and boy are my arms tired! It remains both awesome and exhausting, and I'm delighted to be a part of it.<br /><b>Eclipse: </b>Is about to wrap up its first arc soon, and I am debating whether I am going to re-roll, or stay with my current character. Hm, ponderous questions!<br /><br /><h2>Video Games</h2><b>Skyrim: </b>I continue to spend way too much time in the Skyrim Province for my own good. I have the Hearthfire and Dawnguard expansions, and am looking forward to Dragonborn. No, I have not completed the main storyline, at something like 250 hours. Good times.<br /><b>Fallen London (And Failbetter Games as a whole)</b>: I still play this from time to time, though I have completed <b>Cabinet Noir</b>, <b>The Silver Tree</b> and the prototype of <b>Below</b>, their recent <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/failbetter/below-0?utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=&amp;utm_campaign=link_from_prototype" target="_blank">Kickstarter Project</a>. I was less impressed with Cabinet Noir and Silver Tree, as they felt too... Fallen London, really, for the Format. Below, however, I am excited about, because I feel like the new format suits the dungeon crawl experience really super well. I should totes write a pimping post about that.<br /><br /><h2>And now...</h2>So that's where I am right now. I want to spend a little extra time talking about the 5e game, because it's what's interesting me most mechanically at the moment, and because the discrepancy between what the Fighter is good at and what the Warlock is good at is so huge.<br /><br />First, the Fighter.<br /><br />So, in the <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2012/09/races-in-fantasy-gaming-human-condition.html#more" target="_blank">Aurikesh Setting</a>, I am playing a Veytikka Fighter, which means I come equipped with claws that a) count as finesse weapons and b) do 1d6+atk. You know, just like the rapier I carry. So there's a certain amount of "eh, who needs this rapier?", at least, until magic weapons come into play. Also, I carry a shortbow, and am delighted by how switching weapons is a free action. The Duel Wielding specialty allows me to roll once for an attack with advantage, and if I hit, I roll the greater attack die plus 1d6 +bonus for damage. At the moment, this just means 2d6+bonus on hit, which isn't shabby, but doesn't have me putting things down with one hit at 1st level. Also, I am pretty sure that Haven boosted the HP on the monsters, which is just fine.<br /><br />The Bounty Hunter background gives me contacts, access to a bounty board (basically, extra quests-- very cool if your DM wants to do anything with it, though I can imagine it being basically a dead spot in build), and 3 skills (spot, and... two other things I don't remember) , which is just fine, though the Veytikka advantage of keen smell gives me advantage on scent-based rolls (against wisdom), which don't stack with Spot. I'm told I can upgrade the skill to general perception later, which is certainly an interesting approach, and one I don't know how I feel about. But skills are tricky.<br /><br />Combat as a fighter is not as purely awesome and cinematic as in 4e, but is likewise not as boring and staid as 3e. I have, from class, combat expertise dice I can spend to basically add damage or mitigate damage if I so choose: 2d6/encounter, which help me actually want to pay attention to combat outside of my turn, though I don't have a lot of reasons to care what my fellow party members are doing; nor do I have any mechanical way (thusfar) to keep the critters off of the casters and on me. Which I miss in an abstract sort of way, but didn't really notice when we were in game.<br /><br />Also, I felt that my skills and things gave me some non-combat utility and interest, which was super nice. The character is kind of a silent, sullen type with a disturbingly honorable streak, and I don't really know where she'll go... oh, also, she's a member of the <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2012/05/warrior-societies-of-aurikesh.html" target="_blank">Iron Temple Warrior Society,</a> so there's that.<br /><br />Playing a Warlock is a massively different experience, and I can see why they were pulled from the packet. But I wanted to play one, because Haven is doing some awesome things with Fey in the setting that I super wanted to be a part of. Anyway.<br /><br />In combat, a Warlock is basically All Eldritch Blast All The Time. I can see where Visage of the Summer Court (a wisdom-save AOE 30' charm spell, pick your own target) could have awesome combat application, but I didn't want to spend the boon for it just then. The lesser invocation that allows you to move around without incurring attacks of opportunity is sexy as hell, though as we were fighting arial opponents, it didn't come up. I'll be curious to see how it works in future encounters.&nbsp; But yeah, as I didn't pick up the other Warlock Damage Spell, my combat applications are somewhat limited to blast, blast, blast.<br /><br />That said, I pretty much used everything _but_ Eldritch Blast outside of combat- including Visage- and that was awesome and rocked my socks off. This is due in large part to Haven running a very fun and engaging setting with a lot of interesting NPC interactions, and that was definitely the strength of the session. I went from regretting not having bought more varied combat options to being really happy with Visage, due to its effect on Fey who, well... were just more likely to like me, recognising me as one who shared their same Patroness.<br /><br />I'll be very interested to see what they do with the Warlock in future releases, if they keep it... it's a neat thematic concept, so I hope they do.<br /><br />Also also, I took the Priest background and one of <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2012/10/d-next-healer-specialty.html" target="_blank">Haven's Custom Specialties, the Bloodletter</a>, so that I could have a tiny bit of healing. So far, it has mostly meant that the party healers didn't have to spend healz on me, and could help other folks, so that's all right.<br /><br />All told, I like it so far... I would very much like to see more 4e style terrain stuff in combat, and more of the push/pull/knockdown stuff also, as it made combat super engaging. I really like having to care about combat positioning, and I definitely miss it in this edition. <br /><br /><br /><br /><b>&nbsp;</b> <br /><br /><br />Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-16582733404732521712012-11-06T07:15:00.001-08:002012-11-06T07:16:40.959-08:00Grandiose Plans.So, I learned somewhat recently that <a href="http://www.atlas-games.com/warp/" target="_blank">Atlas games has made the WaRP system available</a> for use, which is the system Over The Edge is based on. And if you've read much of anything I've posted here, although that has not been a particularly frequent thing of late, you know how much I love love love Over The Edge.<br /><br />So, I've had this King In Yellow/Dawning Star game I've wanted to run for several years now (ostensibly called, "The Truth in Yellow"), but, as I am not a fan of D20 Modern/Future, I'd been hard up for a system to run it.<br /><br />And you see where this is going.<br /><br />This will require spending some time with the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dawning-Star-Helios-lee-hammock/dp/0976379546" target="_blank">Ineffable Tome of Ages</a> and making shit work with what I want it to do, but WaRP is pretty durned flexible, and I'm excited to play around with it.<br /><br />In the meantime, <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shieldhaven</a> has been gearing up for a D&amp;D 5e game where I've got a couple of alts, one of whom (Lanth the <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2011/01/late-night-ideas-veytikka.html" target="_blank">Veytikka</a> Fighter) you can see here, as rendered by the awesome Mr. Lich:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KbnxFPI8xiM/UJQNqwmjUBI/AAAAAAAAXRk/vQCo7YV53H0/w497-h373/2012+NaNoDrawMo_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KbnxFPI8xiM/UJQNqwmjUBI/AAAAAAAAXRk/vQCo7YV53H0/w497-h373/2012+NaNoDrawMo_04.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I am also playing a <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2011/01/another-new-race-beruch.html" target="_blank">Beruch</a> warlock, though I haven't a pic of her. Yet. :)</div>Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-25579567887104851292012-06-12T08:27:00.000-07:002012-06-12T08:30:18.432-07:00In which I am not alone.Aaaand here's a small collection of links to other people's blogs, who have ideas I love, or have posited elsewhere in this blog. Seriously, keep it coming.<br /><br /><a href="http://uadnd.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dear-wizards-of-coast.html" target="_blank">Dear Wizards of the Coast...</a> -- from UAD&amp;D. Talks about Multiple Editions and Print on Demand, a welcome echo of my post on the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/a%20href=%22http://deck-of-many-things.blogspot.com/2012/01/if-i-were-ceo-2-5th-edition-d-and-two.html%22" target="_blank">Two State Solution</a> some time ago. And from a pro! A righteous read.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pelgranepress.com/?p=8259" target="_blank">The Threefold Path of RPG reading.</a> -- <a href="http://robin-d-laws.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Robin D. Laws</a> has some excellent insight on Information Presentation, <a href="http://deck-of-many-things.blogspot.com/2012/05/way-of-rules-chick.html" target="_blank">a subject dear to my heart</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2012/06/i-made-board-game.html" target="_blank">I Made a Board Game! </a>-- Shieldhaven discusses Stones of the Wall, a game he invented for DtD. It's pretty cool. :)<br /><br />Among the topics which I intend to discuss in future, there are some reviews (Toys for the Sandbox and D&amp;DNext/5e/whatever), and also more on information presentation as regards the Dust to Dust Rulebook and Website, which are of perhaps more immediate concern to me than other topics.<br /><br />Speaking of <a href="http://ruleof3.net/d2d" target="_blank">Dust to Dust</a>, we just had our fourth three-day event! Which may lead to some ruminations.<br /><br />I suppose we shall see.Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-17031820904586378672012-05-15T19:08:00.003-07:002012-05-15T19:17:44.456-07:00The Way of the Rules Chick.So, I like rules. <br /><br />The reason I like rules is because, apropos of <a href="http://harbinger-of-doom.blogspot.com/2012/05/magic-in-narrative-games-and-fiction.html" target="_blank">Shieldhaven's post about Wizards</a>, and some other stuff I've seen in games, when systems don't have comprehensive rules, they go SQUISH! and you're floundering in an undefined world where, it is reasonable to ask, "well, why don't you just teleport Frodo into Mordor" because there's nothing defining what the possibilities actually are.<br /><br />This is a huge problem when we're talking about magic, but it applies to other systems too, particularly in games, where you want your magic users, your fighters, and your fighter-mages (among your other tropes) to be at about the same competence for amount of time spent building skills.&nbsp; Yes, I am assuming that game/character balance is a desired thing. And I refrained from saying, <i>of the same level</i> to allow for systems without levels, like <a href="http://ruleof3.net/" target="_blank">Ro3 LARPing</a>, or World of Darkness Tabletop, which define advancement in other ways.&nbsp; <br /><br />I know a number of people, however, who do not like rules. At least, they express discomfort with rules which ranges from, "I am just not a rules person," to "I fucking hate rules because they get in the way of my ability to Just Play."<br /><br />I won't get into the expectations connected with who hates rules and why, but will point out that for most people, the thing isn't that one really hates rules. One hates rules that...<br /><br /><ul><li>Seem arbitrary (also called, "are too obvious/visible"),&nbsp;</li><li>Are badly presented,</li><li>Are convoluted and difficult to parse,</li><li>Change or explode too frequently to keep up with,</li><li>Are 'solved' (there's a right way to do things) or easy to exploit (unbalanced). </li></ul>So allow me to go into some completely unsolicited advice for people who do think of themselves as Rules People, who love to design, modify, or add to rules systems for fun and/or profit. <br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />At this point, you may be looking at the title of my post and expecting me to talk about how a lot of ladies fit in this spectrum. And you'd be more-or-less right; a larger sample size of women, in my experience, will express some version of these statements than guys. And there's a number of reasons why. The biggest reason, however, has to do with how when the perception of, "because I am [Quality], I am like [this or that], and not good at [Thing]" comes up, it winds up being self fulfilling. I know, there needs to be a citation here, but merely mentioning, "you're a girl, and girls are bad at math," or even, "there's a perception that girls are bad at math, but you'll show them all!" winds up dropping the score on a subsequent math test, compared to math tests given without mentioning gender at all.&nbsp; So too with Rules.<br /><br />Now that I have reinforced the idea that a gender disparity actually exists, and have focused your attention on that topic rather than the one I actually want to talk about, allow me to slap myself across the face, and kick you away from that digression so we can get back to subjects I care about.&nbsp; Namely, addressing the above mentioned problems with rules presentation.<br /><br /><b>Arbitrary Rules &amp; Poor Presentation: Can Haz Context?</b><br /><br />I deal with these two first and together, because they are between them and in concert, the biggest barriers to rules adoption and understanding, and it's incredibly difficult to talk about one without the other (yeah, I tried a few times).<br /><br />Most experienced gamers, attempting to bring new people into the hobby (or introduce players to new systems), will have run into the problems inherent in handing your intended victim...er, I mean, recruit a manual filled with rules text and telling them to have at. I can speak for few enough other people, but looking at rules text is more likely to make my eyes bleed than not, for a number of reasons, not least of which is that such books are generally kind of schizophrenic on the subject of just who their audiences are-- and to be fair, they _are_ trying to please a huge and widely diverse variety of types. So you have six paragraphs for people who have pretty much, you know... played Monopoly as kids, followed by a bunch of incredibly jargony stuff for people who are versed in the game medium and have been playing for over a decade, followed by a page or six of setting fluff, which is interesting... assuming you want to play the given setting, rather than picking up the rules to tell your own story. (This probably seems tabletop-centric, but LARP rulebooks are created with notoriously fewer resources, and while they have a lot of the same problems, they also deserve a bit more leeway.)<br /><br />Somehow, in all of this, some rules got buried, devoid of relevant context or understanding of the balance behind them.<br /><br />I cannot stress enough, by the way, the importance of context. By which I mean two things:<br /><br /><b>a) Rules must needs be grounded in a game world</b>, or at least, imply the feel of the game genre (gritty, low magic, high-magic, exalted level, whatnot. Yes, Genre and power level do go hand in hand, methinks) OR must justify themselves for the balance reasons they exist. For example, 4e Marking mechanics, which look arbitrary on the surface, actually serve the purpose of allowing the Defender role characters to lock down opponents, and keep them from wanting to smear the caster. Here, the rules are all out on the surface, but the context of the rule-- why it exists-- is clear, or at least, understandable in practice.<br /><br />This also means that the player is likely to remember it, because one can associate terms-- Defender = marking mechanic. This leaves only details to learn as far as what conditions are imposed by the mark. Which leads to my next point...<br /><br /><b>b)&nbsp; Gameplay should clearly follow the implications of the rules. </b>Yeah, sounds like the inverse of what I just wrote, don't it? But bear with me. The reason that magic and systems of magic are interesting to talk about is because the way magic works in the world tells you oodles about what the world is actually like. If a witch can flick her hand and send an enemy flying across the room and animate a bunch of architecture (we may have seen the movie Dark Shadows this weekend, but nu) at virtually no cost to herself, this tells you that OMG, witches might be fucking OP in this world. I refer you again to Shieldhaven's post linked at the top of this one. But once you've decided what magic is like in your world/game system, nearly every other decision-- including how fighters work and interact with the world-- follows thereby. So if you have squishy, not very defined magic, then you are likely to have a lot of super annoyed fighters wondering why Wizards are so bloody OP, or a bunch of frustrated wizards, wondering why their magic doesn't work half the time, and why things go terribly wrong when they do. Consistent magic-- and by extension, consistent world rules-- let the players know, without constant GM guidance, what they can and can't do with their abilities. <br /><br />If you have players who are constantly fighting the rules, and arguing that the rules don't support their concept, try to help them find how the boundaries imposed by rules actually do the opposite, and give them a framework within which to innovate. Too many options actually wind up being kind of terrible-- witness a mage with a 22 intelligence in any D&amp;D edition before 4th, whose GM was silly enough to allow them to learn every spell in the book.<br /><br />Yes, I was once that mage. I was deeply offended that there were spells in the book I couldn't learn (why do they have them there elsewise, to torment me!?), and then had yet another problem when I had so much choice, that a few creative applications of my sickeningly huge spell list meant that the GM had to come up with artificial seeming reasons why what I wanted to do wouldn't work. The game would have benefited hugely from there being some limits to spells, and perhaps even GM innovation on spells to fit what they wanted out of the world. If the available spells and the way spells progressed were seated more naturally in the setting (a tough thing to do with D&amp;D, I know), even miserably whiny me would have accepted it, and been reasonably happy in my RP.<br /><br />How do I know? Because that's how I learned to be happy with it, later. <br /><br />(It is also important to note that <a href="http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11310.phtml" target="_blank">sometimes, it's the layout. Really</a>.<br /><br />My answer here? Suit the presentation to the system. Large, tomely books <a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Nobilis-RPG-2nd-edition-R-Sean-Borgstrom-NM-/05/%21CDh+R9%21BWk%7E$%28KGrHqF,%21hcE0ieTd%28zJBNO6rPwLmg%7E%7E_3.JPG" target="_blank">like this classic example </a>look super impressive on your bookshelf, but are hugely problematic when you're actually trying to learn anything out of them. Plus, they get out of date whenever there's expansions, errata, and additional power-sets. Games like <a href="http://www.bullypulpitgames.com/games/fiasco/" target="_blank">Fiasco</a> are small and simple enough for traditional books, but I encourage most RPG and LARP writers to move electronic as soon and as fast as possible, especially as the ability to update e-versions of books explode. For LARP systems, having an interactive rules site or wiki is the way I'd go. Yes, like books, there is some learning curve in how to organize these as well, but at the very least, it gives something that is much easier to work with, and something which is searchable.<br /><br />Now, on the high end, you have the lamented and lost desktop version of the 4e Character Builder, and the amazing work of <a href="http://www.wolflair.com/" target="_blank">Lone Wolf Studios</a>, which makes me seethe with envy, as I totes had this idea too! But seriously, publishers should seriously consider working with companies such as this one to make product adoption as easy as possible. <br /><br />Is electronic a foolproof system? No, not everyone has the tech, or access to the tech, to make it viable. But there's smarter ways to handle print than have been done, certainly, largely involving not skimping on editing, if you've the budget.<br /><br />Further, I am a fan of being very binary when it comes to combining systems and settings-- either go big on the setting, and go ahead and integrate it fully with your rules, or cut it out entirely, write the core mechanics, and provide copious notes and advice on how to adapt the game to settings, and actually run it.<br /><br /><br />This may seem like a toss-off, but this last portion is critical. When being introduced to a new system, or when shopping for a system to run a particular setting, pretty much every gamer is a n00b. The ins and outs are as oblique to a potential GM as they are to the player's she's trying to get to join her game. Scripted "gameplay examples" are of limited usefulness; what's more valuable to me are walkthrough-style guides for how to resolve sticky situations that arise from rules, or potential rules conflicts. <br /><b>Convoluted, Solved, and Exploding Rules: Ur Doing it Rong.</b><br /><br />I could write about these separately, but it seems to me that one of the primary causes of rules which seem to grow exponentially in number and complexity is that the rules were too bloody convoluted to understand anyway. Now, a certain amount of complexity in rules may well be the by-product of poor presentation, but sometimes there's no really good way to present a given ruleset, because there's just too much, and it is too crunchy.<br /><br /><b> </b><br />3rd Edition D&amp;D, 3.5, Pathfinder, I am looking at you. And to some extent, 4e, which made up for way too many feats and powers to parse by providing the above-mentioned tool to make up for it, but which meant that you were seriously suffering if you didn't have access to electronics... and once they went web-only, fuggettit. <br /><br />The other problem with super complex and convoluted (aka, crufty) systems is that they tend to wind up being solved, or having portions of them which are solved. That is to say, there is some choice, in feats, build, itemization, or spell selection, which is just objectively better than any other choice you could make. This creates a twofold problem: first, exploding rules, as new stuff has to come in to solve for the pieces that are brokenly over powered, or that are now underpowered and neglected, and second, barrier to adoption to those who are too put off by having to search for the exploits to "do it right." This attitude becomes reenforced when the "right ways" to do things are explained. No one likes to feel dumb, and super complex-mechanical things tend to be very bad about making the players feel incredibly dumb.<br /><br />Although it is again too crunchy for some, I feel that Magic the Gathering has a lot of wonderful lessons to offer on this topic. I will refer you to the subtitle of this blog: A Life in Taglines. <br /><br />Taglines which have consistent, knowable effects are a wonderful way to preserve interest and a complex feel, while keeping the mechanics simple. It also gives a systems designer something to quantify when trying to identify potential balance issues, rules conflicts, and other situations where the resolution might be very strange, or contentious among players.<br /><br />Which leads to my next piece of advice: playtest your game. As much as you can. This is tough in a LARP, where on a big enough scale, playtesting is time taken away from when your player base could be playing their PCs, but in a LARP, it's the only real time you have to handle serious imbalance issues before they become Just a Part of Things. Retconning rules is extremely difficult, and becomes more difficult (and less advisable) the longer play progresses. Once you have a paying customer base on anything, any change is going to infuriate someone, and a LARP is much more like an MMO in this: everyone must use the same rules set and system, whereas in a tabletop game, a given GM can easily house-rule a change back to the way they prefer it. I know we sure ignored the hell out of Essentials when it came out. <br /><br />Next, on the topic of Exploding Rules. Feature creep is a software term, but it applies to game systems too. Sometimes, no matter how much you've done, you'll feel compelled to change... something. Either a given spell is breaking the game, a class/warrior order/monster is unusably terrible, or there's a play-style you completely neglected,&nbsp; but all of the PCs want to play it. So you add things. And add things. And amend things. And all of a sudden, you have a big knotty mess of a ton of rules you created in the same way that the little old lady swallowed the spider to catch the fly. And Your players are going on about how things are so odd and complex, and they long for the simple days of just a few rules that they understood. While yet another group is inundating you with suggestions on how it's totally fixable, with just a few tweaks here and here, and if you just added this...<br /><br /><b>Rules by Committee</b> (Mostly for LARPs)<br /><br />Not a fun position to be in. Now, this portion of the post also applies to those helpful souls who are offering rules suggestions, as well as the initial designer. It's important to consider what the goals of any rules addition actually are. Too often, player-suggested design changes wind up serving no purpose but to make said player way, way too powerful. In systems where the players cannot know all the rules, this is incredibly frustrating to everyone-- both the GM/Plot who doesn't want to give the game away, and the player who is wondering why he can't just do This One Thing.<br /><b><br /></b><br /><ul><li><b>Don't get angry with rules suggestions, whatever the concern is</b>. Take them in stride, evaluate them for the goals you want to achieve in the game, and make a decision. Whatever the concern is, the right answer is to at least evaluate it, so the players know their opinions are valued, and so you're not automatically passing on something that might be a good idea.&nbsp;</li><li><b>Don't be afraid to say no.</b> Sometimes, a given suggestion just doesn't fit, there's no room to add anything else, or while the suggestion might be cool, it doesn't fit your world. That's okay. In an active game, you have to balance the happiness of the suggesting player with all the other PCs a change could effect.&nbsp; Still, you should be gracious, thank the PC for their input, and be sure to mention things you liked about the idea, even if you're not going to use it. Or use part of the idea, and discard what you can't do.</li><li><b>If your suggestion didn't get used, don't get mad. </b>The GM/Plot committee, as indicated above, have a lot of different needs they have to balance, not just yours. Accept the verdict with good grace, and move on. Most GMs will work with you to help you do what you want, even if they're not willing to, you know... modify the whole game structure to do so. </li><li><b>Know when to quit. </b>There's a lot of good games which could still use improvement, but are simply too weighty/entrenched to handle a lot of change, and a lot of neat innovations which, while it's tempting to try to apply them to an existing game/system, are really better suited to their own, brand new system. As much as I am a fan of continuous development, maintaining a player base that doesn't feel like it's being left behind by said development is super important, and there comes a time when focusing on story and story concerns should trump rules innovation.&nbsp; </li></ul>&nbsp;The last point loops back around to the point about context, from... oh geez, it feels like a million years ago now. Once you have a game system, and you're running stories in it, rules additions may still make sense, for the purpose of serving the story. But for the love of Vecna, make sure what you're adding makes sense in-world, and perhaps even try to get the addition across in an in-play way, as much as possible. <br /><br />So, now that I've gone from why too squishy is bad to why too crunchy is bad, allow me to return to the middle, and be quietly content in my push for moderation in all things. If nothing else, I hope that I have made my point that Rules and Story are not, and should never be enemies, in anything that calls itself a Role Playing game. If you are running, designing, or even playing a game where this seems to be the case, try to figure out where the break is: in presentation, crunch, squish or some other detail. If you're the runner or the designer, and you want to run for people who are not comfortable with super crunchy rules, take the time to consider these elements, and figure out a better way to serve the goals you want to serve with the game, in a more integrated sort of way. <br /><br />Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7850608927765903595.post-44745640886179623552012-05-02T07:35:00.001-07:002012-05-02T11:23:47.922-07:00Might-Have-Beens.Well, nevermind. Legal reasons, you know how it is.<br /><br />Regularly scheduled content? Yeah, I should post some of that sometime, huh?Rabbit Stoddardhttps://plus.google.com/107585440209753163016noreply@blogger.com0